Insert Unanswered Questions Here
by Crazyloon99
Summary: ACMSES Fic. Following the chaos of the hostage situation in the basement of the Library, the agents are forced to question the loyalty of one of their own. But the investigation is far from simple.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: _Thanks to Aliso for a large portion of this fic. Anything that involves Alice really. _I didn't intend for the fic to be this _

_ACMSES Fic: If you don't follow the Society... then I advise you start at the very beginning (good luck). _

PART 1:

"Eurgh…" Louise groaned as she opened her eyes. The surface on which she was lying was decidedly uncomfortable. She blinked as she realised her head was a lot closer to the floor than it should have been.

Stretching her arms and legs out, she gave a small wince. Her ankle hurt for some unknown reason. Maybe she had fallen out of bed…

"Bed…" Louise murmured, reaching around for something to pull herself upright on. Her hand wrapped around something long, square and metal. Her eyes focused on the upright table leg.

#Blink Blink#

She didn't have a metal table in her room. Her other hand felt the floor. Linoleum… her bedroom floor was lush carpet. Things weren't making sense.

Hauling herself upright, Louise looked around. She had been lying on a thin length of foam – a Karimat. Louise remembered the days of sleeping under canvas with the Girl Guides. She shuddered briefly at the memory of the cold, uncomfortable environment.

Louise's eyes drifted to the room she found herself in. The walls were wooden, and had a familiar feel to them. The floor was a cream lino, stretching from wall to wall. In one corner, a wooden door was closed. The only furniture in the room was the metal table, and two metal chairs.

Resting over her was a tartan blanket. She smiled as she remembered her trip to Scotland with her friends.

Louise was just about to fold the blanket back when the door opened. She looked around. It was Tash, closely followed by the Librarian.

"Hi Tash…" Louise greeted her friend warmly. Tash hesitated on the threshold to the room. Louise noticed that Adrian had moved to a defensive position alongside his girlfriend. What was going on?

"Tash…" Louise's voice was more wary, more hesitant.

"Louise…" Tash spoke softly, "how are you feeling?"

"Sleepy… and confused." Louise's eyes were drawn to the sword that hung at Adrian's waist. "What's going on?" Her question was directed at Tash, but it was Adrian who answered.

"We have some unanswered questions, Louise," Adrian slid into the room proper. "Answer them honestly."

Louise, from her position on the floor, looked up at the towering figure of the Librarian. Adrian wasn't the tallest of individuals, but with Louise sat on the floor, he was an imposing sight.

"What is your name?" he asked.

Louise looked from Adrian to Tash and back again. Things still weren't making sense. The Librarian already knew her name.

"You already..."

"Answer it!" he demanded. Louise recoiled a little, dragging her tartan blanket with her.

"Louise," she squeaked.

Tash watched nervously as Adrian walked closer to Louise.

"What is the name of this location?"

"Um..." Louise was beginning to get scared. "The Library?"

As Adrian made a further step towards her, Louise backpedalled to the far corner.

"Love... she's scared. Let me try," Tash placed a controlling hand on her lover's arm. She walked closer to Louise, but unlike the Librarian, her movements were gentle and measured.

"Lou..." Tash crouched to a similar height as her friend.

"Tash... what's going on?"

"I was hoping you were going to be able to tell me. We," Tash indicated Adrian, who was still hovering protectively over the Society Leader, "... were hoping that you might answer some of the questions we have about the events in the basement."

"What..." Louise looked briefly at Adrian, before returning her gaze to Tash. "What events?"

Tash looked over her shoulder at her lover, who shook his head quietly. Louise watched this interaction with curiosity and bewilderment. What was going on?

"Don't you remember? You went into the basement, released the Sues and proceeded to take five people hostage." As Tash retold the story, she watched the horror on Louise's face, which was swiftly followed by disbelief.

"No... I couldn't... I wouldn't." Louise was even more confused than she had been when Adrian had been demanding answers to simple questions.

"Sorry, hon... but this is what happened."

"No..."

"The people," Adrian's voice broke the silence, "included Alice... and Emily."

"No..." Louise made to push Tash from her side, but Adrian stepped forward, lifting his girlfriend from the perceived threat, and sliding her beyond Louise's reach. As Louise moved, the blanket which, until this point, she had been holding securely, slipped, revealing her clothing beneath.

"What...?" Louise noticed the bright yellow t-shirt she was now wearing. A basement yellow t-shirt. Sliding herself rapidly across the linoleum floor away from Tash and Adrian, Louise began to panic. What if what Tash had said was true? What if she had really done this? Were they going to lock her up, like the Sues? WITH the Sues?

"I won't let you lock me up..." Louise raised her hands before her. She knew she didn't really have a hope in hell if Tash and Adrian really intended to catch her, but she wasn't going down without a fight.

"Lou..." Tash had been watching the panic building in Louise's face. She knew enough of panic attacks to see one developing before her. "Lou, you got soaked when we turned the sprinklers on. We needed to change your clothes to prevent hypothermia, and the basement t-shirt was the easiest thing to grab."

"What..." Louise gabbled. "I don't remember anything like that."

A brief flash of comprehension crossed Adrian's face, and he stepped to Tash's side.

"Do you remember anything of the basement incident?" he asked, his voice a little softer than before.

Louise shook her head. She looked over at her fellow WARGS member, a questioning look on her face.

"It's okay, hon." Tash's voice was soft, and reassuring. "Just answer Adrian's questions as best you can."

"But I can't..." Louise protested. "I don't remember anything about it!"

Adrian stepped forward again. "Louise... what's the colour of Tash's hair?"

"Blonde..." Louise answered. She didn't need to look at Tash to give her response. Her eyes were on Adrian's reaction to her words. He, in turn, was watching her; watching her so intensely that she was forced to look away.

Louise tugged at the blanket on her lap. She was beginning to feel very emotional. She hid her face behind the tartan.

"Have you ever taken anything that doesn't belong to you?" Adrian continued his questioning. Louise looked up at him, confusion in her face. She didn't know how this question was going to solve anything.

"Yes," she answered without much hesitation.

Tash watched Adrian's response. Louise's reply to the question had taken her a little by surprise. Her friend was one of the most honest people she knew, and to discover that she had once stolen was quite a shock. When the Librarian did nothing but nod, Tash turned to him.

"Are you going anywhere with this, love?" she asked.

Adrian threw out a hand to indicate that Tash should remain quiet. She looked down at Louise as Adrian drew a deck of playing cards from his trench-coat pocket.

"Now..." he crouched down in front of Louise. "I am going to show you some cards. I am going to say the number on the card, and I want you to confirm that I have said the correct one, whether or not it is."

Louise nodded.

Adrian held up his first card. **Three of Spades. **

"Seven," he stated.

Louise looked at the three. Her honesty was warring with the instructions that the Librarian had given her.

"Louise..."

"Um... yes?"

Quickly his hands produced a second card. **Queen of Hearts.**

"Ten." Yet again Adrian stated the incorrect number. His eyes were fixed on Louise's reaction.

"... Yes..."

A third card was produced, **Four of Clubs**.

"Four." This time Adrian gave the correct number.

"Yes." Louise didn't hesitate to give her affirmation this time.

Tash twisted one of the metal chairs around, straddling it as she faced Louise.

"Do you remember anything about the events in the basement?" she asked. "Anything at all?"

"No... Tash, I'm sorry. I can't remember."

"What is the last thing you do remember?" she asked.

"Being in Rhia's kitchen..." Louise's voice was a little distant. "Jess offered to spank Dave with a spatula."

Tash smirked at the image.

"Anything else?" Adrian asked.

"Um... I went to bed... Tash, I'm scared."

"I know, hon."

"Maybe we could get Phoenixia to have a poke around to see if she's telling us the –" Adrian's words were cut short as Louise shrieked.

"NO... NO EXPERIMENTS... I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING!" Louise screamed at Adrian, climbing to her feet and darting for the door. Tash and Adrian merely watched her struggle with the door handle.

"It won't open unless I let it," Adrian explained.

"NOOOOOO!" Louise screamed again, sinking to the floor, and bursting into tears.

Adrian went to speak, but Tash's hand on his shoulder caused him to turn to face her.

"Relax..." she soothed her boyfriend. "Remember, she's been through a lot." Tash walked slowly towards Louise.

"Lou..." Tash's voice was barely above a whisper. Louise looked up. Her eyes were already a brilliant red from the tears, and her entire face looked drawn. "Lou, he didn't mean that." Tash shot Adrian a glance that could have melted ice. It told him to keep quiet, and stay out of it. "Of course we wouldn't do anything to you without your permission. Maybe Nixie can come and have a chat with us... calm you down a little. Would that be better?"

Louise nodded meekly. "Tash... you believe me, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course I do, hon. We just need to get to the bottom of this, don't we?"

Louise looked up, past Tash to the figure of Adrian, now leaning against the far wall. "He doesn't," she murmured quietly.

"Because we don't have all the answers," Adrian explained.

"Then maybe you should go get some more..." Tash suggested, gesturing towards the door.

"But..."

"I'll be fine," Tash reassured. "Alice is still in the hospital wing... maybe you should go and talk with her. I want to know how they could have pulled this off under our noses so easily."

Adrian nodded and headed for the door. As he approached, Louise shrunk back in fear of him. Adrian sighed as he took this in. He didn't intentionally scare people. Tash watched her boyfriend leave before approaching Louise in an attempt to calm her down.

OOO

Adrian walked slowly down the bookcase-lined corridors of his Library. Possibilities, both the considered and the discarded, were racing through his head. He passed Phoenixia, heading the way he had come. They exchanged a wry smile but it seemed that Tash had already briefed her on what was going on. He was a little miffed at being ejected from the interrogation so abruptly…well, he was loath to call it an 'interrogation', for all the lack of information that had come out of it. The sheer fact that Louise couldn't remember anything had brought the investigation to a screeching halt. Getting increasingly frustrated, he hoped Alice would be in a forthcoming mood.

The other three adult hostages had by now been debriefed, their points of view recorded and the stories found to tally, building a picture of the incident as plain as day. Young Emily had given her story to Harriet as best she could, and that had been enough. However, when he had come hours ago to claim Jess, Dave and Claire from the hospital wing, Valerie had pulled him aside and confessed her fears for the last hostage. In precaution they had kept her admitted, and posted a guard.

Adrian had heard about the new members to the Society, mostly in the form of anecdotes rather than actual information, but recent circumstances had seen relatively little non-panicked interaction with them. The possibilities raced again, but he quelled them until he had a chance to speak with Alice.

Until he approached the hospital wing, and all hopes of a polite conversation flew out the proverbial window. He could hear shouting, more than one voice, copious swearing, high pitches…

"_Oh dear…_" he thought, hurrying to the wing doors.

There were many people in the wing, all drawn by the clamour, remaining there to help. It wasn't the first time Alice's cries could be heard outside the doors, and many who recognised her voice feared for a moment that it was the same situation – but actually, she was fighting tooth-and-nail to get out of bed and run to Louise.

Alice was being held down on her bed by at least two others mindful of her injuries, but she was struggling harder than they anticipated and several had retreated seeing stars from being struck – but more than once they as a group had had to catch her from running for the door.

Michael, who had been on guard, spotted the distinctive hair of the Librarian and wove to meet him.

"Adrian! This is bonkers!"

"What's happened?"

"She was asleep until half an hour ago!" Michael sported a bright red patch on his cheek where he had been on the receiving end of Alice's uncharacteristic violence. "Then she wanted to see Louise, said she was going to get to her – wouldn't listen when I told her to get back to bed, she got rather pissed…"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO LOUISE? LET ME GO!"

The two senior Society members looked at each other, unease in their eyes.

"I'm thinking…her actions. Is this Stockholm Syndrome?"

"Don't be ridiculous, they're just best friends!" said Valerie over the struggle.

"It doesn't matter…Louise was the captor. The situation was intense enough for Alice to just want to live. There's a potential," murmured Adrian. "A high potential. Either that, or she's in on it."

Michael stared at him. "You really think?"

Valerie scowled. "She's still in pain, she's high on painkillers, she's not understanding what's going on and she's just sca – "

There was a yell as Alice whacked Kyle on the nose, threw herself off her bed and bolted for the door. "I'm coming, Lou – "

Unfortunately there was a Librarian in her way. He caught her, trying to hold her still. "Alice? Alice, what's wrong?"

She stared at his face, but then her struggles redoubled. "Let me go, I need to go to Louise!"

"Why?"

"Because – she's – I must!" Alice knew how to throw her weight around rather well, and fought against Adrian's grip enough to almost shift free, the door in her sights – but then Michael stormed in and seized her other arm.

"You're going back to bed. Come on."

Alice swore copiously at the pair of them, using loud words that made many agents' ears tingle, but she had no chance of fighting off two highly trained men who were both stronger than she was. They frogmarched her back to the bed, many of the others standing by to pull up the bed rails after they both pushed her back down.

"Alice…listen to me," said Adrian, standing over her with a hand near her shoulder.

Alice simply glared at him for a split-second before trying to roll off in the opposite direction. Many hands forced her to fall flat on her back.

"LISTEN to me! I'm trying to help you!"

Finally, a moment of lucidity and lowered volume. "Funny way of showing it."

"I'm sorry. But I have news of Louise for you."

Alice gasped, and struggled against his hand. "Where is she?"

"She's safe. But we can't get much out of her at the moment. I was hoping you could tell me what you think happened – "

"What do you mean you can't get much out of her? What have you done?"

"Nothing."

"Liar!"

He decided to take that as an idea. "Could _Louise_ be lying to us?"

"Lying? To you, maybe! You haven't given her any reason to trust you!"

"So she _is_ lying?"

"Stop TWISTING my words!"

Adrian sighed, and changed direction. "Alice, okay, listen. Can you think of any reason why Louise would do what she did, and for what purpose?"

"It wasn't Louise!"

"Alice…"

"No – it wasn't! I know her and she's simply not capable of doing this!"

"Alice, it was her…"

"NO IT WASN'T! Look –"

"Alice you're being childish!" Adrian missed the building rage on her face. "Denial is pointless here. All I want is your help in getting to the bottom of this!"

"Then let me see her!"

"Why are you so adamant?"

"Because she's my friend, you idiot!"

Adrian scowled. Not good enough. "How's this then: you two were working together, and you being hurt was either your betrayal or a distraction – either way, you were in on it."

"How can I be 'in on anything'? You're keeping me completely in the dark!"

"All the more reason to keep you two away from each other."

"YOU BASTARD! You can't do that!"

"You'll find that I can, and I will. You are a guest here, Alice, why don't you start acting like one?"

"Well you've been a piss-poor host, haven't you?" she snapped. "Unlike half the other morons here, I'm sure as hell not worshipping the ground you walk on!"

"Shh. Alice, you're shouting."

"DON'T SHUSH ME!" Alice tried to sit up again, but Adrian's firm hand on her shoulder pushed her back down.

"I want to help her, Alice, and I need _your_ help to do so, but first you have to realise that I know what I'm doing, and if we're going to have a chance of helping Louise then you need to trust me, calm down, and follow what I say."

There was a moment of still silence, and many agents relaxed. At last Adrian thought he had gotten through to her.

Then her eyes narrowed. "Make me."

Alice could move quickly if she needed to, and she startled many by suddenly scooting down the bed, managing to pull her top out of many hands' grip as she near flew right off the end, nearly toppling over on the smooth floor and once again fleeing for the exit. She crashed into Tom, who up till now had been trying to stay to the sides. Slightly dazed, she shoved him off, near-crawling towards the beckoning freedom. Her nose started bleeding again, but she tried to wipe it away on her sleeve.

Then a head of white hair came into her vision, and with an angry cry she practically headbutted him – trying with rather bad technique to kick him from her low position and managed to thump poor Tom some more as he was trying to untangle himself.

One more slap on his face, and Adrian cracked. "That does it – enough is enough!"

He elbowed her onto her front and held her face-down, pinning her arms behind her back and sitting on her legs. There was silent communication above her head, but Alice missed it – she was screaming and trying to struggle, but he was making sure that movement was impossible.

"If you don't stop fighting us _right now_ I will have you sedated."

Adrian didn't make empty threats.

"NO! _NO_!"

For the first time Adrian heard the same fright in Alice's voice that he'd heard permeating Louise's.

_She had to stay awake; she had to be there to help her friend…_

Valerie groaned, not wishing to be part of this at all. Several agents came over and together they bodily lifted her and carried her the few yards to her bed, laying her down flat on her back with the pillows removed – and only then did Alice realise what they were doing.

With Adrian's arms preventing movement of her upper body, she felt her wrists and ankles being extended and placed into wide padded straps, all four being drawn tight and secured firmly. She struggled throughout but to no avail. At last, the group stood back, allowing Valerie to check the two sets of tan leather medical restraints stretching across the bed and holding Alice's limbs straight, her arms down by her sides and her legs slightly apart, leaving her unable to move anything at all aside from her head.

Adrian remained in her view.

"I've tried to be civil, Alice, but you've left me no choice," he said. "Not only are you making a scene, you have proved yourself to be dangerous to both you and others around you. This was your decision, Alice; your refusal to calm down – "

"HOW CAN I BE FUCKING CALM WHEN YOU'VE TIED ME TO THE FUCKING BED?"

"Your REFUSAL to CALM DOWN," he repeated, with harsh emphasis, "means that you will now remain so until I see fit! I cannot, _will not_ have you putting the investigation in jeopardy!"

"You just mean you don't want me SAVING MY BEST FRIEND from whatever TORTURE you're putting her through!" Alice spat, still too much of a lady and with too much of a dry mouth to actually do so. There was a note of panic in her voice now, however, and she thrashed around unsuccessfully.

"That's it." Adrian stood and turned on his heel, his temper almost getting the better of him. "EVERYONE ELSE OUT!"

The agents scattered. Alice was left alone. She screamed wordlessly in frustration, and struggled in vain against the restraints before she flopped backwards and dissolved into noisy, fearful tears.

Adrian leant against the wall, trying to settle down himself. He heard Michael and Valerie conferring softly behind him, and then felt her hand on his back.

"I trust what you're doing…but I won't leave her. I can't, not when she's helpless like this."

"Stay with her then…keep me informed." Adrian nodded wearily. He hadn't liked what he had to do, and wasn't looking forwards to discovering the meanings behind why both Louise and now Alice had acted – were acting – like they did. He saw Valerie's curious tilt of the head.

"I had thought that Alice would be a willing source of information, be wanting to help me help Louise…" Adrian sighed. "Evidently not."

"No answers out of Louise, then?" Michael asked.

"She doesn't remember anything," he said, much to the looks of shock on Valerie's and Michael's faces. "She's co-operating well but seems fragile emotionally, almost too fragile. I'm not sure if she's bluffing or really does have no recollection…"

"Oh dear."

Adrian glanced back to his most recent dead-end, wondering which step to take now; whether it was an idea to force answers from Alice or to go back and try Louise's again.

"Adrian," said Valerie, watching his expression darken with the implications. "There is someone else who is close to Louise. Someone who knew her very well, and long before any of us did."

Adrian whirled around, eyes wide. "Who?"

"Robert."

OOO

The basement was unusually quiet. The Sues and Stus had been forcibly moved back into their correct cells sometime after the rescue, and they were now all reeling from the event. They were all hyper-aware that the Society in the Library above them was not going to let their escapade go unpunished.

Tabitha had spent a good hour sobbing into her pillow. Robert had tried to comfort her through the bars of his cell, but their beds were too far apart for him to reach her. Eventually, she quietened into a dull moan, and then into silence as she fell asleep.

Reena and Kerrie were unfortunate enough to be sandwiched between Ash and Roxelana, who were still discussing potential escape strategies. Neither of the minor Sues was really paying the others that much attention. After a couple of hours sleep, they were contentedly playing noughts and crosses in the dust.

McLaren had returned to his usual grouchy self, and was sullenly slunk in the corner of his cell. He wasn't paying anyone any attention, but since the majority of the Sues in the basement thought him an arse, his inattention to them was a blessing in disguise.

Robert lay on his bed, staring at the concrete ceiling of the basement. He had taken to staring at the ceiling when he had something on his mind. The faint swirling patterns of the ceiling were semi-hypnotic and Robert felt his mind clear. Ever since the hostages had been rescued, he had been worrying about Mirani. She certainly hadn't been acting like the honourable Mirani he remembered. What was bothering him the most was the child that had been involved in the incident. He was haunted by the image of her eyes looking at him, fear filled and terrified. The only change he noticed to the basement was the silence that fell as Ash and Roxelana stopped talking. Robert could only guess that they had finally stopped plotting and had fallen asleep.

So Robert was left alone, and was the only one to hear the grumble that echoed around the basement from his stomach. The agents had grudgingly provided them with food when they had moved them into the correct cells, but their meal had been frugal and now, potentially many hours later, Robert was beginning to feel hungry.

He lay still on his bed as he heard the others around him wake. He heard a thump, and then McLaren's voice cursed loudly. Robert guessed he had fallen off his thin bed. He repressed a snigger.

There was a sound at the basement door, but Robert paid it little attention. There were always noises coming from the corridor outside, usually just the change of the agents on duty. He silently wondered whether this one would provide them with food.

Footsteps sounded from the other end of the room. Robert didn't bother looking up. For all he cared, it was the agent on duty coming to shout at them some more. It was only when Ash's voice called across the basement that Robert realised that the visitor was not the usual run-of-the-mill agent.

"Oh, look who it is!" Ash had gotten to his feet, and was now clutching the bars. His eyes were fixed on the new arrival.

McLaren looked up from his corner. "The high-and-mighty deems us worthy of his illuminating presence! God, I think I'm going to puke!"

Robert wondered which poor soul was being tormented, and raised his head to look towards the top end of the basement.

Adrian stood, arms folded, by the door of the basement. His trenchcoat was a stormy grey colour, but this was nothing compared to the expression on his face.

Robert sat up and pulled his knees up to his chin. He wrapped his arms around them as he took in the figure of the Librarian. He knew that Adrian was a very powerful individual, and he certainly cut an intimidating profile as he stalked down the side of the basement.

The heckling didn't die down as the Librarian approached. Robert winced a little at the words some of his fellow basement inhabitants were using. He knew that they were likely to be in real trouble for what they had done, and now he feared that Adrian had come to deliver the punishment personally. He couldn't take his eyes from the striding figure of the Librarian. It was only the second time he had seen the famed man, and even as he loomed towards the cells where the Sues and Stus were held, Robert could not help but be in awe of the presence and aura he emitted.

"BE SILENT!" Adrian's voice thundered around the basement.

Robert looked around as the basement fell silent around him. Tabitha woke with a start, and seeing the Librarian standing outside her cell gave a small shriek. She pulled her thin blanket up around herself and shrank to the back of her cell. Her eyes were focused on the bed; unable to bring herself to look at the Librarian. Robert tried to reach her through the bars, but his arms just weren't long enough.

"I'm..." Tabitha stammered, but she was cut off as Adrian's shadow loomed over the C Block cells.

With his arm at full stretch through the bars, Robert looked up at the Librarian, fear in his eyes.

Adrian's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. "On your feet, boy!" he barked his order.

Robert could barely believe that the Librarian was addressing him. "Me?" he asked quietly.

"Now." Adrian's voice was like barely contained thunder; thunder emitting from the cloudlike shadow of his presence.

Robert slowly pulled his arm back into his own cell; not taking his eyes off Adrian's. "Um..." He gave Tabitha a swift glance as Adrian turned outside Robert's cell door to face him. Robert slid from his bed, and got to his feet. He backed to the far end of his tiny cell, as far from the threatening presence of the Librarian as he could.

"We can do this either the easy way, or the hard way." Adrian retrieved a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Robert's eyes noticed the space behind where Adrian stood. Maybe, once the door was open, he could squeeze through, and run for it... but Adrian seemed to read his mind.

"There's nowhere to run to. Try and you'll be very sorry." He unlocked the door, but held it firmly shut. Robert sighed. He was not a stupid man, and knew that life would likely be ten times worse for him if he tried to outrun the Librarian, and who knew how many more agents he had waiting upstairs. Slowly, and very carefully, Robert took one measured step forwards. As he did so, he heard the cell door open. Adrian placed himself in the middle of the door, ensuring that there was nowhere for the Stu to run.

"Are you going to come quietly?"

Robert was suddenly hyper-aware of the entire basement staring at the scene being played out between him and the Librarian. Tabitha had slunk under her bed, dragging her blanket with her. In the cells behind him, he could sense Roxelana, Ash, Reena and Kerrie watching him; likewise with his neighbours, and the Sues in the block before him. His heart pounded against his chest as he watched the figure of the Librarian in the doorway take a single pace forward.

"Well?" he asked, lifting the cuffs into Robert's line of vision.

He had no other option: nowhere to run; nowhere to hide. Robert took a deep breath, as one did before plunging into danger, and raised his wrists before him.

"Wise decision."

#SNAP#

#SNAP#

Robert heard and felt the cuffs close around his wrists. He was now at whatever mercy the Librarian felt like showing, and as Robert looked into the cold eyes he wondered what he had let himself in for.

Tabitha, from beneath her bed gave the smallest of squeaks. "Robert! No!" Robert hung his head as Adrian led him from the cell.

"Fight him Robert!" Ash's voice called in encouragement. "Don't give in to him!"

"No..." Robert murmured, barely loud enough for Adrian to hear it, and certainly beyond the hearing of those in the cells.

Adrian didn't pay the Sues and Stus in the cells any further notice as he drew a leading chain from his pocket and abruptly attached it to the cuffs around Robert's wrists.

"Where are you taking me?" Robert dared to ask.

Adrian didn't answer. He merely pulled roughly on the lead chain, now linked to Robert's cuffs. "Move!" he ordered. Robert stumbled out of his cell. As Adrian led his prisoner from the basement, the voices of the other inhabitants rose in protest, many of them shouting encouragement to Robert; others yelling insults at the Librarian. Although not all of them would admit it, they were all rather frightened for Robert's safety in the hands of the Librarian.

Adrian ignored all the clamour from the basement, leading the unprotesting Robert into the Library proper. The prisoner tried to memorise where he was being led, but after what felt like hours of bookcase lined corridors, and then plain, unadorned ones, he was thoroughly lost.

"Where are you taking me?" Robert asked again. He wasn't breathless from the wandering, just a little disorientated. As Adrian had been utterly silent during the time in the Library, Robert didn't really expect a response. All the Librarian did was to pull his prisoner harder.

The pair eventually slowed outside a heavy looking door. Robert's eyes focused on another agent standing by the door. He appeared to be waiting for the Librarian, for as Adrian and his prisoner turned the final corner, he approached.

Michael's eyes fixed on Robert, who stopped at the force of the glare that the Chief Agent was giving him. He could not forget the threat laid upon him for daring to include his wife in the hostage incident. Michael scowled as Adrian finally turned and spoke to Robert.

"Now you listen to me. I'm not in the mood for any more fun and games, boy. If you show any trace of disobedience then I will make things VERY unpleasant for you. Understood?"

Robert swallowed hard, his eyes forever drifting back to the looming figure of Michael standing by the door. Adrian yanked on the lead chain to get Robert's attention.

"UNDERSTOOD?" he shouted at his prisoner.

"Yes... sir..." Robert murmured.

"Good!" Adrian turned to Michael. "Michael, stand guard."

Michael nodded and assumed his position as the Librarian opened the door, and pulled Robert roughly inside. All that furnished the small room was a table and two chairs.

Robert paled at the sight of the chain that ran across the table. What was the Librarian going to do to him? As the thought came to him, Adrian turned to face Robert, who recoiled a little in fear.

"Sit!" he ordered. Robert decided that it was safer not to question anything, and did as he was told. As Robert was looking at the door, Adrian pulled on the chain, forcing the Stu's hands forward. He fastened the cuffs to the chain running across the table. Robert tried to pull his hands onto his lap, but they were stuck fast to the central chain. A brief attempt to free himself told him that there was no point.

Adrian paced around to the other end of the table. Robert's eyes followed his every movement with fear.

#BANG#

Adrian slapped a pile of manila folders onto the table, and took in Robert's startled expression. He pulled the other chair out from behind the table, and sat down. After what, to Robert, felt like a long time, the Librarian spoke.

"Okay. You have been brought here for the purposes of interrogation relating to the incident in the basement. This is going to be recorded."

Robert nodded mutely.

Adrian opened the top folder. Robert could see his name in bold writing at the top of the inside cover, along with his T-shirt colour and cell number. "Here's what I'm thinking. I think you have been planted here. I think Louise is a traitor to the Society, and you and her have been planning what happened in the basement for a long time."

Robert took a couple of seconds to take in what Adrian had said, but eventually he found his voice.

"NO!"

"It's quite clear to me. The hostages have all reported you acting as second-in-command."

"That's... that's not true." Robert didn't know what trouble he would be in for protesting his innocence, but he sure as hell was going to defend the fact that he hadn't been Mirani's co-conspirator.

Adrian raised his eyebrows, appraising Robert as he spoke. "Is it not? You especially seemed quite complicit in the happenings."

Robert's head dropped. He had been complicit. "I..." his voice dropped to barely a whisper. "I just wanted out."

The snort from the other end of the table caused Robert to look up. "And you thought that taking five innocents hostage - including an eleven-year-old girl - would go anywhere to seeing your freedom?"

"I... I didn't know it would include the girl." Robert's voice was almost hysterical. "And I STOPPED when I realised what Mirani was prepared to do." He watched Adrian's reaction to his words. It was clear that the Librarian didn't believe a word that he was saying.

"You do realise that after this instance all of you down there are undergoing a reassessment of your risk level as we speak? What you have done – I don't think you don't deserve to wear yellow anymore," Adrian threatened. He watched Robert's face turned a slight green tone as he absorbed his words.

"Please... no..." Robert was clearly terrified. The dreaded blue shirt was the worst thing to happen to someone like Robert. It meant that, should there ever be another basement escape attempt as happened with Willowe, all those wearing blue t-shirts would be shot on sight. It also highlighted them as being of greatest threat to the agents, and thus would likely receive worse treatment in their cells. The only Sue in a blue T-shirt at present was Roxelana, and all in the basement were made well aware of the reason for it.

"You know what happens to blues, don't you?" Adrian was already aware that Robert knew, but was explaining for dramatic effect. "All that added security...and next time, if you ever are involved in an escape..." He mimicked holding a gun. "...bang. You may think you have nothing to lose, Robert...but trust me, you do. Much more than you might think."

Robert sagged in his seat; his chain pulling taut as he attempted to rest his hands on his lap. He wasn't usually one to give up, but even he had to admit that the Librarian really did have him in a corner now.

"So now answer me this... Why does Louise not remember anything of the incident at all?"

Realising that it was probably best for him to answer the Librarian's questions, Robert sighed.

"I don't know," he began. "Mirani doesn't have the best of memories..."

Adrian cut him off. "Why do you keep calling her 'Mirani'?"

"It's her name... isn't it?" Robert's face was troubled.

"And where did you find this out? Because the last time I checked, her birth name is Louise."

"Mirani was the name I knew her as for the eighteen months when she..." Robert drifted off, deciding that it was best to get to the point with Adrian. "I only discovered her real name on the day she left."

"Mmm..." Adrian pondered, glancing at the files before him. "So you're saying you knew her by another name for a year and a half...a name which no-one else in the Library calls her...and you're trying to tell me you two are NOT conspiring together?"

"I hadn't seen Mirani for over seven years until we ran into each other in Rome. How on Earth could we have planned something?"

"You've been here seven months," Adrian pointed out.

Robert sighed as he conceded that Adrian's point had some merit. "But I haven't been conspiring with anybody..." his voice held a hint of hopelessness in it.

"And speaking of Rome," Adrian pressed his point him, "that is why you are here in the first place. Pretty convenient, if you ask me, for your brother and your mistress to escape so effortlessly. I go back to my first point," Adrian stood up and leaned towards Robert across the table, "...I still think you've been planted here, if not to conspire then to take advantage of it."

Robert gritted his teeth together, and hissed at Adrian. "She's not my mistress."

"But you took orders from her. She's triple the level you are, and Richard's not a pushover either, by the looks of him...so you are guilty via association. All things considered – they could have easily rescued you. They left you in Rome for us to capture."

As Adrian spoke, Robert's mind was whirring, dredging up memories of his life before his imprisonment; his life with Merle and Richard. Words came back into his mind; words spoken in a different place, a different time.

"When the time comes..." he murmured.

"Don't murmur at me, boy... Out with it!"

Robert looked up at Adrian; a small tear trickled out of his eye and down his cheek. "I... I can't."

"You CAN'T or you WON'T? Must I remind you of what's at stake, Robert?"

"I can't... she'll kill me."

Adrian frowned as he sat back down. The boy wasn't making much sense, but it was more than he had gotten from Alice. "Who, Louise? As I said, she can't remember anything of the incident. We have her safe and secure anyhow."

Robert placed his head in his hands and leant on the table. When he spoke, it was muffled. "No, not Mirani... Merle."

Adrian glanced at Merle's rather incomplete file, thinking over what Robert had said. "Is your _life_ at stake?"

"Probably."

"We can keep you safe here. Tell me Robert, what did Merle say to you before Rome?"

"She..." Robert looked up from his hands. "She gave me orders... that I would know who to obey when the time came."

"Why would she know this would happen? It's been over five weeks since we last came across her."

Robert was about to replace his head on his hands, but at Adrian's words, his eyes shot up to meet the Librarian's. "Five weeks?" he spluttered. "What happened five weeks ago?"

"Will you tell me if it is relevant?"

"I've been in your basement for seven months. The world could have ended for all I knew... but yes, I will tell you."

Adrian weighed up the options. He needed information, and for the moment Robert appeared in a forthcoming position. "Louise ventured into a fandom and was caught by Merle. She was there a week before we rescued her."

"What fandom?" Robert's voice was almost frantic for information.

"_Warhammer Fantasy_."

Robert clapped his hand over his mouth to stifle his gasp, but a small hiss escaped. He buried his face in his hands once more.

"I take it that is relevant?" Adrian asked, but did not demand an immediate response from his prisoner.

From within his hands, Robert mumbled. "If I say anymore, I will be committing the grossest act of treason imaginable."

Unseen by Robert, Adrian went to stand again... and again... and again. He hadn't been expecting anything like this. Robert had not fought or shouted at all, in fact he had been quite well-behaved; far removed from his brother Richard, whose file Adrian had used to base his questioning tone on. Evidently this was wrong. Eventually, he changed tack, and merely said, "Robert... if you help us... we could help you."

"I can't..." Robert was adamant. "She'll kill me. I would be a traitor to her... the worst kind of traitor."

Adrian studied to young man before him, wondering what kind of skeletons he had in his closet. He sighed, and decided to take a different route into information.

"Mirani is your friend, is she not?" Adrian asked, using the name for Louise that Robert knew. "Would you like to help her?"

Robert nodded from within his hands.

"We found Louise in the White Tower of Hoeth," Adrian explained, and Robert's head whipped out of his hands, and he stared at Adrian.

"Teclis!"

Adrian knew too well than to hope that Robert would be totally forthcoming, but this name was a start.

"Will you tell me about him?" he asked, and then after a moment's silence, added, "Robert, we can keep you safe from Merle."

Robert, finally convinced that there was going to be no other option that to provide the Librarian with the information he sought, looked up properly, and began to explain.

"Teclis is a powerful mage. If you are right in saying that Mirani remembers nothing about the events in the basement... he could have done something to her." After his explanation, Robert buried his face into his hands again, and quietly bemoaned, "I'm a traitor... forever a traitor. To be shot on sight."

Robert twitched a little as Adrian reached across the table and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Listen to me, Robert. You are not a traitor. Such cryptic orders, and no-one should order another to cause harm. We can help you, and we will defend you. You don't have to live under her boot any longer..." Adrian paused. "What kind of something could have been done to Louise?"

"I... don't know..." Robert was almost in tears now at the thought of what he had done.

"Could Teclis have made Louise do something outside of her own control?"

"Maybe..." Robert murmured, "maybe, he is very powerful…I've heard he can take control of a man's mind…"

Adrian stood up at the other end of the table, removing his hand from Robert's shoulder. He walked over to the main door, and opened it. Michael was waiting outside. He was looking more than a little shocked.

"You got that?" Adrian asked him.

"Sleeper agent..." Michael appeared to take in the phrase. "Holy crap!"

"Go and inform Tash and Phoenixia of the developments. I will finish up here."

Michael nodded and vanished from sight.

Adrian closed the door and turned back to Robert who was whispering to himself.

"I'm a dead man... I'm a dead man."

Adrian put his hand back on Robert's shoulder. "You've been the biggest help to our investigation today. You may have just saved Louise. Let's see if I can't repay the favour."

Robert looked up, hardly willing to believe what he was hearing. The Librarian... the famed Librarian... was going to do something for him. Adrian leaned over, and released Robert's cuffed hands from the chain on the table. He offered the Stu a hand to get to his feet. Robert stood, a little unsteadily.

"What is going to happen to me now?" he asked with trepidation.

"To you? Well..." Adrian appraised Robert carefully. "I'll take you back to the basement."

Robert sighed. He knew it was too good to be true.

"As for Louise," Adrian continued, "we'll find out what's been done, and we'll sort it out. On that you have my word."

_Oh... _Robert thought bitterly. _Well, I have his word for that. _

Adrian did not reattach the leading chain, but merely took hold of Robert's arm and led him out of the room. There was no one else in sight as Adrian guided Robert a different route back towards the basement. As they passed the hospital wing doors, the sound of sobbing could be heard coming from within.

Robert stopped briefly, but Adrian didn't urge him forwards.

"Who's that?" Robert asked. "Is that Mirani?"

"No..." Adrian sighed, and suddenly the Librarian looked tired and drawn to Robert's eyes. "That's Alice."

"Alice..." the name rang a bell inside Robert's head. "The girl from the basement?"

"She's Louise's best friend..." Alice's sobs could be heard in Adrian's pauses. "We've had to strap her to her bed."

"Why?"

"Violence towards other agents... and a single-minded determination to ruin the investigation," Adrian explained, his eyes on the hospital wing door. "I didn't want to do it... but I did what I had to do."

"She seems very vocal about something..." Robert wondered aloud as Adrian urged Robert to move again.

"Me, probably," Adrian said with a sigh, "or not being able to see her friend."

As Robert caught sight of the basement door, he froze.

"Come on..." Adrian pulled him forward gently. Robert followed; his fight or flight mode triggering at the thought of going back to the basement. The Librarian led him down the steps and to the basement office.

A knock on the door brought Agent Rhia to the door.

"Hi Adrian..." she greeted the Librarian warmly. "Returning him to his cell?" she glared a little at Robert.

"In a fashion..." Adrian said, a small smirk crossing his face. "Rhia, would you print up a new green t-shirt for him? Cell... A3, I think."

Neither the agent nor the Stu could believe what they were hearing. Robert gawped in Adrian's direction. The coveted green T-shirt meant only one thing…a second chance. It meant that he would be going up for parole. On the other side, Rhia looked a little more appraisingly at him.

"Okay..." she murmured, "situation changed?"

"For the better," Adrian explained with a slight smile. He led Robert into the basement proper. The heckling that both parties were expecting the moment they entered, didn't happen. The majority of them were so shocked to see Robert back among them in one piece that they had forgotten to hurl abuse at Adrian.

"Why are you doing this?" Robert asked as Adrian opened Cell A3, located much closer to the door and in the only block that was currently empty.

"As I said: you help us, we help you." Adrian reached forward and removed Robert's cuffs.

"I don't deserve this..." Robert sighed, as Rhia arrive with his newly printed green t-shirt.

"Here's the shirt."

"... I'm a traitor." Robert concluded.

"Too bloody right you're a traitor!" Ash's voice called from the back of the basement.

Ignoring the loud shouts from Roxelana and Ash, Adrian turned to Robert. "You don't need to listen to Merle or Richard any more. You're free from them! Now..." Adrian took the t-shirt from Rhia, and handed it to Robert. It was still warm, the ink on the front, back and sleeves new and shiny. "This is yours now."

"Really?"

Adrian nodded. "Yes..." he turned, for the first time acknowledging the hecklers. "He co-operated with us! And look what he got out of it! If you boneheads would only do the same, maybe you might get this treatment too. NOW CUT IT OUT!"

Ash clearly didn't intend to pay any heed to the Librarian. "YOU BLOODY TRAITOR ROBERT!"

"Since WHEN does he pay allegiance to you, Harth?" Adrian called across the basement.

"HE OWES US MORE ALLEGIANCE THAN YOU, LIBRARIAN. HE'S ONE OF US!" Roxelana's voice joined Ash's berating of Robert.

Rhia slipped from Adrian's side and headed down one side of the basement. The Librarian meanwhile turned back to Robert.

"Do you… this is really for me?" Robert could barely string his sentences together.

Adrian smiled. "Yes silly... now put it on."

Robert didn't need telling twice.

Meanwhile, at the back of the basement, Rhia was confronting Roxelana.

"You really think I was scared of you when I knew that in less than a minute you would be begging for mercy? The squeak was a signal, you stupid bitch; a signal for the others to come down the stairs."

"You will always be afraid of me, girl..." Roxelana strayed a little too close to the front of the cell with her taunts of Rhia. Before the Sue knew what was happening, Rhia had planted her fist in the Sue's face. There was a satisfying crunch; maybe she had actually broken bone. Roxelana stumbled backwards, crashing onto the edge of her bed and landing with an almighty thump.

From his cell at the front of the basement, dressed in his new green t-shirt, Robert looked over.

"How does it feel?" Adrian asked him.

"Like a…a second chance."

Adrian chuckled, "I was referring to the t-shirt."

"Warm..." Robert semi-crooned as the heat of the newly printed t-shirt permeated his body. Adrian nodded with satisfaction as a contented Rhia rejoined them.

"Make sure there's no trouble," Adrian instructed Rhia, leading her a little way from Robert to explain what he had gleaned from his interrogation of Robert. As they returned to within Robert's hearing, Adrian bid his farewell to Rhia. "I'm going to see how things are progressing."

Adrian closed the door on Robert's cell as Rhia disappeared with assurances of collecting his few meagre belongings from his old cell. "We'll try and keep you informed, Robert."

"Thank you."

At the back of the basement, Roxelana was cursing Rhia's name; Adrian's name, and the name of any other agent she could think of. Robert lay on his new bed, waiting for Rhia to bring him his book. Whilst it was nice to be granted the desirable green t-shirt, something he never expected, he was now lonely. He missed Tabitha, Reena and Kerrie. He looked over, and through the bars of the central Block B, he could just about make out Tabitha on her bed. He wondered, if the proffered parole hearing came to fruition, what would become of him. He closed his eyes, and thought of home.

OOO

_Meanwhile…_

Louise had sunk to the floor by the door of the room upon Adrian's leaving. She was terrified of the man. She shuffled herself against the wall, and sat there, knees pulled up under her chin. Nothing Tash said was getting her to move. She had called for Phoenixia not long after the Adrian's departure, and now all they could do was wait.

"Why don't you sit at the table?" Tash asked for not the first time, but the response she got from Louise was unchanging.

"Oh, com'on hon," the Assistant Librarian dragged one of the chairs over, and perched on it at Louise's side.

"Before you ask, Tash..." Louise spoke between her tears, "I don't remember anything about what you said. Adrian's scaring me."

Tash sighed. She wasn't entirely sure what to say to her friend. Louise was usually a very bubbly, cheerful, sensible person. "We'll get to the bottom of this," she reassured.

"And then what?" Louise demanded. "Lock me in the basement with the Sues; or just kick me out on my butt?"

Tash's face was shocked that Louise had even considered the possibility that her friends would even do such a thing. "No..." she protested, but cut herself off. If Louise was guilty, what were they going to do with her?

"I knew it..." Louise's voice was thick, not only from the crying but also with the accusations she was levelling at her friend.

"We would never lock you up, Lou," Tash explained. "Let's give Adrian a chance to get all the information first, shall we?"

"You said Alice was in the hospital wing... why?"

"She suffered a broken nose from the events in the basement."

"I didn't..." Louise for a second thought that she might have been the one responsible.

"You... no. From what the others have told us, it was Ash."

"Bastard!" Louise cursed.

A gentle knock on the door caused both women to look around. Tash climbed off the chair, and approached the door. Opening it, she saw Phoenixia standing outside.

"Phoenixia..."

"You asked me to come?"

"Yes... Louise," Tash gestured over her shoulder to the huddled agent against the wall, "is very scared at the moment. I don't think Adrian helped matters."

"I passed him on my way here. He looked very determined about something."

"He's going to talk to Alice. See if he can get any more information from her."

"Well, good luck to him," Phoenixia murmured, pulling Tash closer so that Louise couldn't hear the words exchanged. Louise looked away from the discussion in the doorway, wrapping herself once more in the tartan blanket she had been provided with.

Once Phoenixia had reported her information to Tash, she was permitted access to the room.

"Hey Lou..." Phoenixia was wary, just like Tash had been upon her arrival. The Assistant Librarian took up her former seat on the metal chair, and Phoenixia perched precariously on the table. Louise made no comment to the former hologram's greetings.

"Oh come on Lou. Nixie is here to help you," Tash leaned over and reached for Louise's hands. "We want to help you, but you have to be willing to give something in return."

"How can I give you anything when I remember nothing?" Louise queried.

Phoenixia pushed herself from the table and crouched at Louise's side. "Lou... why don't we just chat? See if we can calm you down a bit?"

"Will you answer my questions?" Louise asked.

Tash and Phoenixia exchanged a concerned look that didn't go unmissed by Louise. "What?"

"We will try," Tash explained, "but you need to understand that we don't have all the answers yet."

Louise sighed. "Do you believe me, Tash?" she asked

Tash glanced at Phoenixia and said softly, "Yes, I believe you. I've known you longer than the majority of others here. This is completely against your character."

"Thank you..." Louise leaned back against the wall.

"Louise," Phoenixia began, but the junior agent noticed the hesitation in her voice.

"What now?"

"Lou, why don't you tell me what you do remember? Might calm you down a bit," Phoenixia suggested.

"I've already told Adri –"

"But I'm not him," her voice softened, "and besides, from the look of you, you could use a shoulder to cry on at the moment." Phoenixia moved to Louise's side, and slid onto the floor. Tash made an unconscious movement to prevent her, but Louise's eyes were on the ex-hologram, and didn't spot it. The moment Phoenixia was sat beside her, Louise seized her and buried her head into her shoulder, letting out a wail of despair.

"Looks like you definitely needed a shoulder to cry on," Phoenixia stated, looking up at Tash.

"Why doesn't he believe me?" Louise sobbed.

"Adrian..?" Phoenixia queried, and Louise nodded. "He's..." Phoenixia searched for the most appropriate word.

"He's trying to take control of the situation," Tash piped in. "He doesn't have all the answers yet, so he is attempting to find them. It didn't help that you can't remember anything."

Louise looked up from her sobbing session on Phoenixia's shoulder. "It's not my fault I can't remember," she snapped. The words came out harder than she intended, and her face fell the moment the words were spoken. "Sorry..." she murmured.

Phoenixia gently rubbed her hand across Louise's back to soothe her. "There, there..." she muttered. "Nobody thinks it is your fault."

Louise broke into a fresh wave of sobs; Phoenixia's top getting slowly wetter and wetter.

"There may be a way to get answers..." Phoenixia looked up at Tash as she spoke.

"How?" Tash asked.

"No... experiments..." Louise protested; though it fell a little flat through the outpouring of tears.

"No, no... not experiments," Phoenixia rubbed Louise's back again. "Louise," Phoenixia placed her hands on the young agent's shoulders, pushing her away from her for a second, "if you are willing to consent, we could always hook you up to..."

"NO!" Louise recoiled from Phoenixia's hands, forcing herself deep into the corner of the room.

"Just hear me out, darling," her hands were still outstretched, but Phoenixia made no move towards Louise. "We hook you up to a computer, and I can then have a small look around and work things out."

Tash looked between the pair of them. "Lou, don't worry hon. Nixie's done this stuff before."

In the corner, Louise relaxed a little. "Will it hurt?" She had a terribly low pain threshold, and Louise was always nervous of anything that would bring her pain.

"No..." Phoenixia soothed from her distance. "You may be aware of me in your mind a little, but no, it won't hurt."

"And you'll get the answers you need?"

"Most likely. I won't lie to you, Louise. I need your permission to do this, because your mind will put up barriers to me if I go in uninvited. It would help us all if you allowed us to do this."

Louise sighed.

"Very well, but I have one condition..."


	2. Chapter 2

_Part 2 of Insert Unanswered Questions Here. I hope that you have stuck with me from the beginning... hopefully, I will see you at the end._

OOO

The hospital wing was at last silent, but the atmosphere was one of sheer misery. The only people present were the prisoner and her minder.

Alice lay still on her bed, her white hospital pyjamas spotted with dried blood under her chin from her recurring nosebleeds. The cuffs holding her down flat on the bed by her wrists and ankles were wide and padded on the inside to protect her when she struggled, but the locking bracelets and the restraining straps both were made of tough, unyielding leather. All four of the restraints were strapped down securely to two thick bands passing under Alice's body at the hips and ankles, and padlocked shut as an extra precaution – though in an emergency that required evacuation Valerie could easily undo the bed straps themselves.

But only in an emergency. For the last four hours she had been left like this, and no orders to release her had come. The plain white ceiling was all of interest she had to look at, and she just lay there staring up at the pallid swathe.

There was a voice at her side. A soft voice, aiming to be friendly. The minder had to make periodic checks on her, after all…

"Alice?" said Valerie gently. "Are you feeling okay?"

She closed her eyes and said nothing, only twitching slightly as Valerie's hand touched her bare arm.

"Ali?"

Her nickname. How one could shorten a two-syllable name into a two-syllable moniker was beyond her.

"Alice, I'll go away if you want me to…just please tell me you're all right first."

Slowly and with a sigh, Alice turned her head towards the healer. "Let me go," she said, simply.

Valerie's heart sank. These seemed to be the only three words she said at the moment. "I'm sorry, Alice, but I can't."

She turned her head back.

Valerie scrabbled around for something to say, before the depression radiating from Alice got to her too. "You know, I could put some posters on the ceiling for you to look at. Nice ones, like those lovely sea- and planet- and skyscapes you like…"

No response.

"Do you want anything? I can turn the heat up for you, or down…"

Again, silence. Valerie sighed and went to leave, but then she heard the rattle of the restraints behind her. She turned, seeing a momentary look of fright on Alice's face – she knew of her fear of abandonment.

"Water…please?"

Valerie smiled. "Of course."

A while later, Alice had given up listening to the sporadic chatter at the hospital wing doors, even though she was sure that she'd heard Dave's voice on more than one occasion, getting more and more frustrated each time his requests – then his demands – for news were not met. Once more came low sounds, then the soft knock to get Valerie's attention; but this time the voice was the very recognisable high-pitched European of the assistant Librarian. She had been the only one so far allowed past Cristoph, who was the one now guarding the doors.

Tash, jovial but with her mind on her task, smiled at Valerie – then her face dropped as she laid eyes on Alice. Valerie stood to bar her progress into the wing, but there were some hurried explanations, with Tash gesturing this way and that.

Alice turned her head away.

Valerie finally permitted Tash into the wing proper, and she slowly approached Alice on the bed. By coincidence the bed was in the same location that Tash had come to see her straight after her surgery to save her life after the Ak'Zahar attack. Not that Alice could remember it.

Tash had been informed a while ago that there had been some sort of trouble with Alice in hospital, but she had had no idea that it had escalated this far. As a small and self-contained medical unit, the Library's hospital had to be stocked enough to at least attempt to deal with practically anything. The set of strong medical restraints had only been used a couple of times in the Society's existence, and for the single reason of stopping silly and stubborn individuals from moving and injuring themselves further. Tash had once been one of these individuals, but all she could recall of the treatment was a rather uncomfortable sleep. This was the first ever time the restraints had been used on a fully-conscious and barely injured person to stop them from hurting others.

"Oh Ali…" she said softly, catching her attention.

"Tash?" Alice's hands bunched into fists and she pulled against the straps. "They let you – what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, hon…"

"Let me go…please, I don't like –"

"I'm sorry."

Alice seemed to deflate, sighing and slumping back onto the flat mattress. Her hands went still.

"What did you do?" asked Tash, pulling up a chair and perching on the edge.

"I didn't do anything! It was your bloody boyfriend!"

Tash sighed, her very posture reading '_oh dear_'. "Nixie said there was trouble, but…why? What were you doing?"

'Struggling' seemed to be Alice's answer to that, as she pulled against the restraints. Tash's hand went instinctively to her shoulder to try and calm her down, but Alice twitched away from her touch.

"Louise – where is Louise? What have you done?"

"Done? Nothing. Alice…" she paused, and Alice finally met Tash's gaze. "Louise cannot remember anything of what happened down there, and we've hit a brick wall. She's scared and she's said that-"

"She can't remember?" Alice's eyes were wide.

"No. It's almost like she was a different person yesterday. Adrian was trying to find – "

"I've known she wasn't acting like herself from the very beginning! I did try and tell you, I wanted to find out why when I was trying to see her! Why am I the only one who saw this?"

"Alice…you know her the best, and I'll bet there are others who are hoping the same, that this is not Louise just acting…we're more shocked about you and the other hostages, and we want to make sure you're okay first…"

Alice struggled once more against the straps in response. "Why did you bother coming? To give a lecture?"

Tash shrugged lightly. "For one thing, Ali, I came to see how you were."

"I'm fine! Or I was fine before that twat came in here! _I want to see Louise_!"

"Alice, please…we're trying to resolve this. You're still struggling, please…calm down?"

"I AM CALM! Let me go!"

"You're not calm."

Alice made a growl in her throat, struggled some more, then pain lanced through her expression and she fell limp.

"Ali…trust that Adrian can see this through to the end."

"He hasn't earned my trust yet," snapped Alice. "Or my respect."

Tash sighed, struggling to keep it from reaching her words. "You barely know him, I know. Alice, do you trust my judgement?"

Alice was expecting her to snap back; after all this, she showed no sign of anger, and her calm acceptance put her on the back foot. "Uh. Well, yes…"

"Do you trust Dave's? Rhia's? Valerie's?" Tash continued. "Nixie's?"

"Yes, but…"

"Then trust our judgement of him, and our faith in him to help Louise."

Alice scowled and looked like she was going to scream at the Society leader, but she seemed to have used up all her anger today and could only sigh.

"Look, I'm not in the mood for your meaningless banter. Either get to your point, let me go, or leave me alone." She turned her head away, her voice breaking and tears brimming in her eyes.

There was silence for a long while. Alice closed her eyes, feeling the tears roll down her face and onto the mattress. Then, finally, Tash said what she had gone to the hospital wing to say.

"Louise has given us a condition of her accepting treatment," she said. "She wants to see you."

Alice's head whipped round, staring at the blonde-haired leader. "Wh – really?"

"Yes."

She struggled even more, a sense of desperation in her small movements. "Not like this – please, not like this…"

"No, I'm going to take you to her. But Alice, I've been given some conditions of my own…"

"What? Anything! I just want to see –"

Alice trailed off as she saw the heavy-duty handcuffs Tash fished from her pocket. "Why?" was all she could say.

"We need a safe and controlled situation. We don't hold all the cards, and we don't know what's going on. And I'm sorry, Alice, but you have been making a lot of us worried."

Alice sighed, her head flopping back onto the bed. "Okay."

"Good. Val?"

"I'm on it," said the healer, sounding relieved to rescue Alice from her miserable position. The pair undid the straps around her wrists, allowing her to work out the strain in her elbows – then Valerie undid her ankles, but Tash moved in and gently fitted the handcuffs onto Alice's arms. They were cold steel and there was a leading chain securely bolted to the centre. She swallowed hard as she watched, trying not to jump off the bed and flee.

"You can hold that," said Tash kindly, divulging herself of the uncomfortable task. "Can you stand?"

Valerie helped Alice sit up and swing her legs off the bed. She felt a little dizzy, but stood without trouble. They found her a pair of slippers for her bare feet, and smiling, Tash took her from the hospital wing.

Alice followed Tash closely through the corridors of the Library, not wanting to be seen by anyone like this and still desperate to get to her friend. She held the end of the leading chain bunched in her hands. She swore she spotted Dave at one point, paused abruptly in the middle of the corridor behind them, but they turned a corner before she could call to him. The two didn't speak, remaining in companionable silence, but Tash made sure to stay by her at all times.

They reached a set of back stairs leading down to a somewhat lower level of the Library, but a shout of Tash's name from behind them made them both stop and turn around. Adrian, hurrying to catch up with them, stopped in his tracks but a few metres away.

"What the hell is _she_ doing out of the hospital wing?" he exclaimed. Alice pulled defensively away behind Tash.

"Adrian, Louise said she won't let us help her unless she sees Alice first –"

"No! You can't. It won't be safe!" Adrian sounded strangely urgent.

"What? No! You said – you said I –" Alice pulled away even more before she reached the top of the stairs, trying to stop the leading chain from swinging. She stared from Tash to Adrian and back, hoping that she would defend her. She was so close…

"I got Alice to co-operate, love," said Tash warily. "What's wrong?"

"It's not that any more –" Adrian marched forwards before Tash could stop him, and he seized the leading chain from Alice's hands. Alice backed down several steps but could go no further. Without a second thought he looped the end of the chain around the top of the banister and locked it to itself, pinning the hapless woman in place, but he turned immediately to Tash and took her aside out of Alice's earshot.

Alice, open-mouthed with the utter callousness he had just shown her, struggled frantically against the chain but paused as she heard snatches of critical conversation.

"…Alice hasn't…Louise's…found out…Robert…Tower…not safe…"

Adrian grasped her elbows, and Tash then gasped as he got to his point. Alice did not feel comfortable with that response. She redoubled her efforts on the banister.

"Do you understand, Tash?" he asked, louder now.

"Yes, I do."

"Right. Take her back, it's no longer safe. We don't yet know what the trigger is." Adrian turned back to Alice, ready for the trouble this edict was bound to cause; and it was brewing fast, as she pulled back as far as her outstretched arms would take her, a look of rage on her face.

Tash, however, looked extremely reluctant, and she reached forwards to grasp _his _arms. "Thing is, Adrian…this was Louise's condition to us. If we don't take Alice to see her then we'll be going nowhere again."

Adrian didn't want another fight on his hands, one where he could barely win as he had to be careful not to go too far and cause any actual harm, so he paused. Alice remained glaring at him.

Finally, he sighed. "Fine. But I'm coming with you. At the first sign of danger, it ends."

Tash nodded, but Adrian stepped towards Alice. She realised she had a reprieve, and was going to see Louise after all – but still she remained as far as her tether would allow, preparing to dodge out of his reach. Tash slipped around him, a hand on his chest.

"Let me, love…" Tash looked to Alice, who relaxed a little. She reached to the chain locked onto the banister and undid it, but Adrian cleared his throat pointedly and she kept hold of the end of the tether instead of giving it to Alice. "I'm sorry about this, hon…"

"What's happened?" Alice asked.

"I…" Adrian shook his head, and Tash looked down. "I can't talk about it right now."

Adrian went past the pair on the stairs and began to lead the rest of the way, Tash almost next to him, mindful of Alice behind them.

She tried to memorise the turnings of these bare and featureless corridors but was soon rather lost. Alice's excitement about being taken to see her friend had soured considerably, and she was now feeling utterly humiliated. Soon she was also very out of breath, stumbling on her chain after the two leaders, one with much longer legs than her and the other with a longer stride.

"Oi, Longshanks! Will you two bloody slow up?" she snapped eventually. "I can't walk as fast as you!"

The pair turned, Adrian looking very frustrated and Tash apologetic.

"Sorry…are you all right?" she said.

Alice rubbed her wrists and grimaced. Adrian turned and carried on, though slower than before.

"I'm really sorry…" said Tash softly.

"You will be," muttered Alice.

Instantly she saw the Librarian stiffen, his cat ears folding back on his head. "Tash, give me the chain."

"Huh?"

He snatched the tether from his assistant and gave Alice the look that said 'don't you even think about messing with me, girl'. She of course paid it no heed, and yanked her arms close to her chest, pulling the chain taut between them. She met Adrian's glare with scowl of her own.

"Do you _want_ to see Louise?" he asked, the irritation threaded through his voice. "Or do you want to go back to the hospital wing?"

"Do you _want _your investigation to get anywhere?" she countered. "Sounds like you need me."

"Unfortunately! I'd rather keep you securely away from her at all costs. You have given me absolutely no reason to trust you. Your actions towards Louise are extremely suspect – just how determined were you to come with the rescue team to _Warhammer Fantasy_? You even ignored your injury to go."

"What's _that_ got to do with anything?"

"More than you realise," said Adrian. "It's your decision, Alice."

"Of course I want to see Louise. Don't be stupid!"

"Then move."

Alice did nothing of the sort, withstanding his yank on the chain and standing her ground. "I'd rather my fate be in Tash's hands than yours."

"Tough. _Move_!"

OOO

Louise sat at the table in silence. Phoenixia had explained that they needed to keep the meeting between her and Alice controlled. The younger agent had protested a little, but Nixie had been adamant. So it was now that she was sat in cuffs, hands on her lap. A length of chain linked her cuffs to a chain pulled taut across the table. Louise bowed her head, and allowed a number of silent tears to fall down her cheeks; she did nothing to alert her companion to her distress. It was only when Phoenixia looked over at her that she noticed,

"Lou... darling." She rubbed Louise on her back to sooth her. "Don't worry. Once you have met with Alice, we will have a look in your head and get this all sorted out."

A gentle knock on the door caught both Louise and Phoenixia's attention, and the ex-hologram got slowly to her feet. On the other side of the door was Michael. As the room behind Phoenixia came into his view, his eyes fell upon the restrained Louise.

Louise could see the pair conversing in the doorway, but the distance, and the low volume, prevented her from hearing anything.

In the doorway, Michael explained to Phoenixia what Adrian had discovered in his interrogation of Robert. As he advised Phoenixia about the danger, the ex-hologram looked over her shoulder at Louise, who was watching the pair. The knowledge that there was the potential that Louise was a sleeper agent was concerning to Phoenixia.

Louise watched the pair finish their conversation. Michael left the room, and Phoenixia returned to her charge.

"What did Michael say?" Louise asked before Phoenixia had even sat down.

"I can't talk about it, Lou... I'm sorry."

Louise grumbled quietly under her breath, but whatever conversation the two women were about to engage in was cut short by a second knock on the door. The pair looked up again as Michael opened the door to reveal the last person Louise wanted to see.

Adrian stood framed in the doorway, Tash hovered over his shoulder. There was no sign of Alice.

"Where's Alice?" Louise demanded before Adrian had a chance to say a word. The two leaders entered the room, revealing Alice lingering behind them. Adrian didn't say anything as he strode up to Louise at the table.

The young agent recoiled as the Librarian seized hold of the chain attached to her cuffs, ensuring that his prisoner was secure.

"LOU!" Alice's voice cut into her friend's fear.

"ALICE!" Louise jumped to her feet, and both friends tried to get each other.

Adrian, still standing between the two young agents, pushed Alice away and yelled, "NO CONTACT!"

The friends stopped, and both stared at the Librarian. Louise's face showed all the contempt she was currently feeling for Adrian. Alice was merely shocked that the Librarian was being so horrible to them both.

Tash and Phoenixia led the pair to chairs on either side of the metal table. As Louise reached her seat, she spotted the cuffs restraining Alice.

"What the hell have you done!" she demanded, her eyes focusing on Adrian, rather than the Society leader.

"This is a controlled situation," Adrian insisted. "You will both do exactly as we tell you, or this meeting is over immediately."

Louise didn't move. "You need me to agree to your demands if you want any resolution."

"Well, we have!" Adrian was slowly losing his patience with the young agent.

Alice quietly took her seat beside Tash, and the leader took hold of the chain.

Not getting an answer from anyone to her original, Louise's eyes fixed on the cuffs and the chain linked to Alice's wrists.

"What..." she started, but Alice shook her head sadly. Louise whipped her head around to stare at Adrian. "You knew about this?" she demanded. Adrian merely grimaced.

Alice's voice cut through the silence of Louise's accusation. "Lou... Lou... what's happened to you? Are you alright?"

Louise looked around, and her anger at Adrian broke for a second. She sighed, and finally sat herself beside Phoenixia, placing her cuffed hands on the table. "Why don't you ask him?" she gestured with her head at Adrian, who was now standing at the top of the table.

Alice gave Adrian a sidelong glance, and spoke through gritted teeth. "He tied me to the bed!"

"WHAT!" Louise twisted in her seat to stare at the Librarian.

"Lou... don't look at him. What's he done to you?" Alice tried to get her friend's attention.

As Louise turned back to face her friend, she answered the question. "Scared the crap out of me, that's what he did! He won't believe that I can't remember what happened!"

"Tash told me," Alice smiled wryly in the said agent's direction. "I tried to tell him something was wrong, and he wouldn't believe me either. He strapped me down because I was trying to get to you."

Louise turned her head to stare full on at Adrian. "You did what?" she demanded, her hands clenching on the table. "How could you do that?" Her accusations and the anger in her voice caused the Librarian to sweep his gaze onto her. Louise got to her feet.

"Did it not occur to you that she was merely trying to get to me? NO, you only thought of yourself... you ungrateful BASTARD," Louise shouted at Adrian.

"SIT DOWN!" he shouted back at her, and the young agent did nothing of the sort.

"Come on, honey..." Phoenixia patted her on the arm. "Sit back and talk to your friend."

Louise obliged and sat back down, her eyes lingering on Adrian for a second, before looking back at her friend. Her jaw dropped a little as she spotted the blood stain down her friend's top. "Did he do that?"

Alice herself looked down at her top. She shook her head, rattling the chain attached to her cuffs as she did so.

Jaw still hanging low, Louise shook her own head, fearing that she had been responsible for her friend's injury. "I didn't..." she looked up, catching Alice's eyes. "Did I?"

Alice allayed her friend's fears with a shake of her head, and the words, "No... Ash did it..." but she then awoke Louise's concerns again when she said, "but you..." she cut her sentence off.

"I...?" Louise prompted her friend, but Alice merely shifted her hands, causing her chain to rattle. "Ali..." Louise sniffed. "You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry... I'm not meaning to."

Out of the corner of the four seated agents' eyes, Adrian shifted in annoyance.

"Lou..." Tash's voice was light and yet held an edge of concern. "We know you can't remember. That's okay. Nobody was harmed badly, and everything's going to be okay." Alice smiled at her friend to reinforce the message that the Society leader was telling her.

Louise sighed, her eyes drifting towards her friend sat on the opposite side of the table.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked.

"I'll live..." This was Louise's stock response when she didn't want to divulge her true feelings. "What about you?"

Alice brought her cuffed hands up with a slight rattle of the chain, and gently touched her nose. She nodded. "Been better... I still want to help you."

"Likewise." It was all Louise could do to prevent herself staring in the direction of the Librarian. "I can't believe what they told me I did."

Alice's eyes fell to the table, and she could not meet her friend's gaze, but she nodded. "I know... it wasn't you."

"But it was..." Louise's feelings of guilt reared their ugly head. "Wasn't it?"

Alice was Louise's best friend, and of all the agents in the Society, she knew her best. "I know you'd never do what you did to m... them. Us." Alice corrected herself each time.

"Ali..." Louise's hands twitched on the table, and Adrian's eyes narrowed briefly. "What did I do? Please... tell me that much."

Alice swallowed. She didn't want to upset her best friend. "You... took five of us." Louise's face fell as she heard the truth from her friend. "And tied us up in the basement."

Louise shook her head, but Alice continued. "Me... then Dave and Jess, then Claire and Emily."

"No..." Louise murmured. "I..."

"Most of it wasn't bad..." Alice reassured. "It was just a few times..."

Louise broke, and tears rolled down the poor agent's cheeks. "I'm sorry Ali..." she sobbed. "I didn't know."

Both Tash and Phoenixia rubbed the backs of their respective charges. Alice blinked back her own tears as she gave the damming evidence against Louise. "You... you held a gun to my head."

"NO!" Louise openly sobbed, burying her face in her hands. With her friend in obvious distress, Alice reached forwards, as any friend should do, to comfort Louise. Neither upset agent saw Adrian lean down and seize hold of Alice's chain, wrenching her hands away. The Librarian glared at Alice, as though he thought she knew better.

Alice, however, merely gasped.

Louise wiped her eyes on the back of her cuffed hand and stared fully at Adrian. "Were you ever going to tell me what I did to my best friend? Or were you simply going to lock me up and not believe a word I say?"

"What I am doing, I am doing for everyone's safety," Adrian insisted.

"Lou..." Alice caught the furious agent's attention.

"Yes!" Louise's voice was a little harder than she would have liked.

Alice spoke fast, her words coming out in a rush. "Lou, I think it was something in _Warhammer Fantasy_." Both Tash and Phoenixia stiffened. "In the White Tower."

"ALICE, NOT ANOTHER WORD!" Adrian's voice boomed. "IF YOU KEEP GOING –"

Alice's voice reached a higher pitch, shouting over the top of Adrian's anger. "There was something not right, I think it made you –"

Adrian was, by this point, seeing red, and he walked around the table, placing his hand forcibly over Alice's mouth to silence her. The unfortunate agent struggled beneath the Librarian's hold, and watched in horror as Tash followed his unspoken instructions to ensure she couldn't move.

Louise watched all this play out in front of her, her mouth falling slightly open in shock. Adrian's blatant attack on her best friend would not go without an objection. "GET OFF HER YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" Louise got to her feet before Phoenixia could stop her.

With the Librarian's attention directed away from Alice, Tash pulled her into a comforting embrace, whispering softly in her ear. Adrian stormed around the table, and forced Louise back into her seat, leaving his hands on her shoulders to ensure she remained there. "Tash... get her out of here. This meeting is over!"

Louise struggled out from beneath Adrian's grip. "ALICE!"

Tash, despite her boyfriend's orders, didn't move. "Adrian, we shouldn't..."

"It's too dangerous," the purple eyes of the Librarian glared at the poor agent in his girlfriend's embrace. "She said too much."

"YOU DON'T CARE!" Louise was now seeing as much red as Adrian, and she was going to give as good as she got.

"LOUISE!" Adrian thundered. "That is enough!"

Alice looked up, meeting Adrian's gaze briefly. She slowly clambered to her feet, but not in a way that made the Librarian wary. The chain leading from her cuffs swung free. "Please... could I hug her?" After all the shouting, Alice's plea seemed all the more pathetic.

Louise looked up at the Librarian, partly in shock, partly in hope.

Adrian's response, however, contained nothing but harshness. "NO!" he roared.

That was enough to make Louise crack. She jumped to her feet again, and rounded on the Librarian. "Then I will not allow you to do whatever experiments you plan. She's my best friend, and I will NOT let you stand between us!"

Adrian appeared to have been expecting this, and merely stated to Louise, "We brought her to you. We have met this condition of yours. Now you will accept ours. No more negotiation."

It was clear from Louise's expression that Adrian's words were not going to be obeyed. "THAT WAS BEFORE I REALISED WHAT A BASTARD YOU ARE, LIBRARIAN!" Tash looked up at the words coming from her friend. "No, I will not use your name. Only people who have earned my respect deserve to be called by their name!"

The Librarian merely rolled his eyes. "What _more_ do you want?"

"Just a hug..." Louise looked over to where Tash had her arm wrapped gently around Alice. "That's all... just a hug."

"I cannot permit it! You have no idea..."

Louise interrupted him with further incoherent yelling, but it was Alice that knocked all the wind from Louise's sails. "Please... Lou... let them help you. Please." Tears were pouring down her cheeks.

"I won't leave you..." Louise called to her friend. She knew that one of Alice's greatest fears was abandonment, and was convinced, in her red-visioned state, that no one else in the room cared about that.

"I want you to be better... we can hug later." Alice smiled weakly at Louise. "I'm just happy to see you. I'm sorry I made you upset."

"Alice..." Louise took a step towards her best friend, but Adrian placed himself between them. Alice looked pleadingly towards her. "GET OUT OF MY WAY," Louise went to push Adrian from her path, but the chain attached to her cuffs pulled taut. Alice reached out towards her in return, and their fingers brushed briefly, before Tash pulled her charge a few steps away.

"Tash, take her back to the wing, and make sure she's secure... I want her looked at too." Adrian pointed at Alice, "I'll not have her running about."

Louise's voice was now weak from all her shouting, "Alice..."

"Lou, it'll be okay."

Adrian, who had been expecting much more of an opposition from Alice, visibly relaxed. Behind him, Phoenixia wrapped her arms around Louise, who, at the first sign of warmth towards her from anyone besides Alice, buried her face into Phoenixia's shoulder, and burst into tears.

As Tash led Alice quietly from the room, the leading chain pulled taut as Alice lingered to see her friend, Phoenixia helped Louise back into her chair.

"Well that could have gone better," Phoenixia murmured, as Adrian paced the room muttering to himself. The ex-hologram hugged Louise until she stopped crying. "There... see... Alice is all right. She was happy to see you."

"You know, you are a monster – a heartless monster, Librarian," Louise pointed a finger at the man who was so worshipped by the majority of agents, but who so terrified her at the present. If he had looked at her at that moment, she was convinced she would have frozen in place. "So what is going to happen now?" Louise gathered her courage and looked up at Adrian. "Are you going to prove to me that you are just the monster I think you are?"

"WILL you cut it out?" Adrian snapped. "ALL DAY we have been trying to help you, yes even through your amnesia! And all you have done is bitch and scream!"

Louise merely scowled at the Librarian, but Phoenixia wrapped her arms around her again. "Shh...shh...shh…" she soothed the young agent.

"Now will you co-operate?" Adrian demanded.

"Will you shut the FUCK up?" Louise snapped.

Adrian slammed his hands onto the table, gabbling incoherently and becoming very red in the face.

"Don't listen to him," Phoenixia tried to move Louise's attention from the Librarian, but sadly failed.

"I have no intention of listening to him. He has done nothing to earn my trust at the moment. You are heartless. You care nothing about the emotional state of anyone. I have no idea why Tash ever fell in love with you. You do not deserve her love."

"FU... WHY YOU..." Adrian was seething at the edges.

"ADRIAN!" Phoenixia snapped.

"LISTEN TO ME YOU LITTLE... I've had enough. I don't know what you've sold your soul to, but it will end now! I want to know what you've been up to in the meantime! And you WILL submit or you will"

The three remaining people in the room fell silent as the communicator placed on the table began to buzz.

##BUZZ BUZZ##

All three of them looked at it.

##BUZZ BUZZ##

Phoenixia reached across the table to silence it, but Adrian threw out a hand to stop her.

"No..." Adrian was clearly thinking. "Let Louise answer it."

The ex-hologram gave the Librarian a quizzical look, but didn't question it. She merely passed the still buzzing communicator to the young agent.

Louise seized hold of the communicator, and answered it. Unseen by her, Adrian gestured Phoenixia to move towards the door, his eyes never leaving Louise's face.

"Hello... yes... I understand."

Louise dropped the communicator to the table and got to her feet. The sleeper agent spell triggered, and gave the young agent a confidence that she would otherwise not have had.

"Louise..." from the doorway, Phoenixia called in semi-warning to Adrian. The young agent appeared not to hear her. She strode towards the door. The ex-hologram met her. "Louise..." she wrapped her arms around her.

Adrian picked up the discarded communicator. "Hold her..." he instructed Phoenixia. "Hello?" the Librarian spoke into Louise's communicator.

"Hello... may I speak with Louise please?" The Librarian shuddered briefly at the mock friendliness in the female voice.

"With whom am I speaking?" Adrian asked. His mind was spinning as to how this random person was contacting Louise on her Society communicator.

"A friend." It was a simple and yet understandable response.

"Mmm."

"May I ask who you are?"

"My name is Adrian. I am the Librarian."

There was no response from the other end of the communicator. After some time, the communicator clicked, indicating the end of the line. Adrian snapped it closed, and placed it back onto the table.

"Merle!" he muttered, turning to deal with Louise, who was still being held by Phoenixia.

"Let go of me..." Louise hissed.

"Louise... calm down. We're trying to help you..."

"Hold her still, Phoenixia..."

The ex-hologram wrapped her arms tightly around Louise as Adrian approached from behind. His hand came down on the back of Louise's neck, hitting the exact point on her body that caused the young agent to buckle at the knees and slip into unconsciousness.

OOO

The long walk back to the hospital wing was a slow and subdued one, neither aware of the drama being played out behind them. After everything that had happened, Alice's sudden assistance in calming Louise down was unexpected, but a sure sign that she had broken. She was silent as they walked down the corridors, not even bothering to complain any more. Tash's heart ached for her, saddened by what she – anyone else would say the Librarian spearheading the investigation had broken her, but Tash felt guilty all the same – had reduced her friend to.

Outside the hospital, they paused as Tash sensed a potential problem. Dave and Inara stood before Cristoph, trying to figure out what was going on and exchanging damning rumours. At sight of the pair however, the frenetic talk halted abruptly, both staring in near-disbelief at what the last two days had wrought.

Alice hid her face, the chain rattling ominously. She was utterly mortified. Tash wrapped a protective arm around her. "Guys, nothing to see here."

"_Nothing to see?_" Dave was furious. "I would say there is plenty to see here, Tash! What have you done?"

Alice felt Tash stiffen with frustration. "_We _have been doing what _we_ need to do."

"And _this_ is necessary?" Inara had to stop Dave from marching forwards.

"Dave, please! We – "

"I don't want to hear excuses. _Why_?"

Tash had reached the hospital wing doors, and Cristoph moved to protect them. "I'm sorry, but right now, excuses is all I can give."

And with that, Tash led Alice through the doors, swinging shut behind them.

Alice, red-faced, emerged from her shame, glancing round the sterile space she had spent a lot of time in over the past couple of months. Tash gave her a wry, one-armed hug, guiding her gently deeper into the hospital towards her bed.

Then Alice's eyes fell on the bed, and the thick leather straps still stretched across it. She seemed to shrink and pull backwards, going pale. "No…no, no…"

Tash was too wound up to notice, and simply urged her forwards. Alice slipped out of her grasp, the chain pulling taut.

"No…Tash, please, no…"

There was also a sigh from in front of her: Valerie had emerged from her office at the -commotion.

"Ali…I'm sorry, but we have to…"

"Tash," said Valerie, her voice with strong authority. "You're going to have to do better than 'Adrian said so' to have Alice put in the restraints again."

The look of relief on Alice's face was the best expression she had worn all day; and Valerie saw something similar cross Tash's.

"I'd like to compromise," Tash said. "Alice…we need her to stay here for the time being. Securely. We're still not sure."

"Okay, why?"

"Umm…"

"I need a reason, Tash. Something to make sense of all this."

Tash glanced at Alice, who drew in breath to speak – she knew too much, she was more perceptive than many gave her credit for. "No, Alice…" Tash sighed. "Okay, look. We've got to the bottom of the problem, we have our answers, and hopefully Nixie will have it sorted and will be bringing Lou here in a bit."

Valerie folded her arms.

"Louise is a sleeper agent – she was acting against her will, and it's why she can't remember anything. We don't know why, or who, but from what Adrian gathered it was probably something that happened in _Warhammer Fantasy_."

"I know who it was," said Alice. "It's not hard, Tash! It was M – "

Tash shushed Alice gently, but the infuriated Alice just pulled more against her chain.

Valerie shook her head grimly at the scene in front of her. "And Alice? That's not enough, Tash."

"We're just worried that something has affected Alice in the same way…well, Adrian's worried. Nixie will be checking her too."

Valerie sighed; there was, she admitted, a small but definite unknown danger here. "She is co-operating now. I'll not have her in four-point restraint again."

Alice ceased struggling at last. Tash looked at the chain in her hand and dropped it, almost in disgust.

"I was…hoping to just, well…cuff her to the bed rails…"

There were grimaces all round: Tash from shame, Alice from tiredness of pretty much everything that had happened, and Valerie from being thoroughly cheesed off with the whole situation.

"Alice, will that be okay with you?" she asked.

"How long for?" replied Alice warily.

"Not long, it will just be a precaution," said Valerie, taking control and leading Alice gently back to her bed, helping her to sit on the edge. She took Alice's hands and removed the handcuffs completely. She saw how little fight Alice had left, and despaired; there would be some strong words later. She spoke to her softly, pulling the straps off the bed and into their bag, but undoing one of the wrist straps.

"I'll not simply handcuff her to the rail; I've seen broken wrists from that kind of thing," said Valerie, taking the still slightly resisting Alice's left arm and wrapping the wider and safer medical cuff around it, drawing it closed and threading the strap through the rigid steel restraint before locking it; the other end was fastened to the rail, and Valerie then gave Alice a hug because she looked so miserable.

"Louise will be all right. And I promise this will be over soon…" she whispered.

To Tash, she said: "What will you do now?"

"I just want this day to end…" the Leader sighed. "I don't know what to do."

"Best not to bury your head in the sand. The rumours are flying thick and fast, and there had better be some sort of clear-up before the end of the day. Just my two cents."

There was a low growl from the bed behind Valerie, and at last Alice piped up. "My two penny-worth is pretty much out there already…but I've got ninety-eight pence left – I'm hungry!"

Tash giggled, and Valerie gestured to the door. "What do you want, honey?"

The cuffs slid along the rail as Alice pulled her hands onto her lap. "Chip butty. With extra chips."

Valerie looked puzzled for a moment, but Tash knew of the quintessentially northern British seaside snack oft attacked by divebombing seagulls. "Trust you, Ali!" she laughed.

"Well go on, fetch!"

Happy to have even the most silly reason to take her mind off today's unpleasantness, Tash left the hospital wing.

OOO

Louise opened her eyes, wondering briefly why the back of her neck was throbbing so painfully.

"Eurgh…" she groaned, catching the attention of Phoenixia who was hovering at the side of the room.

"Ah… Louise," she greeted the confused agent with a smile. "Welcome back to the land of the conscious."

"What…" the junior agent attempted to rub her neck, but found her wrists restrained to the arms of the metal chair in which she sat. "What…?" she struggled against the restraints.

"Lou… calm down…" Phoenixia urged, her hand resting on the frightened agent's shoulder.

"Why am I tied to the chair?" Louise demanded, not following the ex-hologram's instructions in the slightest.

"It's a precaution… nothing more."

"A precaution…" Louise was confused at this response. "A precaution against what?"

Phoenixia sighed. She had had a discussion with Adrian while Louise had been unconscious regarding whether she should inform her of the truth. Adrian had been adamant that Louise was a danger to the Society in her present state, and that giving her the information would not help matters. Phoenixia had protested that Louise would demand answers, and not providing those answers would cause her to shut her out of her mind, and they would go nowhere with their investigation. In the end, Phoenixia had won out, with Adrian submitting to her with only one condition. That condition was the restraint. He had then been banished from the room because, as Phoenixia had explained to him, he was not in Louise's good books at the moment, and the sight of him would only increase her anxiety. Adrian had reluctantly agreed to this.

"We think we know what is wrong with you," Phoenixia began to explain slowly, watching Louise's expression all the time.

"Alice said something about _Warhammer Fantasy_ and the White Tower…" Louise's usually sluggish memory had a spark of genius.

"That's right." Phoenixia smiled, noting that Louise was calming as she was provided with more information. "Merle did something to you then that has made you act against your will."

"You mean… like a sleeper agent?" the younger agent asked.

"Exactly like that."

"Oh…" Louise was silent for several seconds. "Is that why I can't… you know… remember anything about what happened?"

Phoenixia nodded, and Louise slumped against the back of the chair, almost resigned to the fact that she would be known as the agent who attacked her own friends. Phoenixia saw the drop in Louise's expression.

"Lou… no one blames you for what happened."

"Adrian does…" her eyes were becoming damp.

"Oh, ignore him."

Louise pulled on the wide cable-tie restraints. "Then why am I tied to the _chair_!"

"We know one of the triggers for the programming in your brain, but we don't know whether that is the only trigger. Me poking around in there could trigger you to do something, and Adrian…"

"Oh God… what does he want?" Louise interrupted.

"Adrian thinks it is safer for both you and me if you are prevented from doing anything that might cause harm."

Louise had to admit to herself that the Librarian was right, although she swore to herself that she would never tell him that to his face.

"Why was I unconscious?" Louise asked suddenly.

"Your communicator rang…" Phoenixia explained. "It was Merle, and it triggered the sleeper agent inside you. Adrian was forced to knock you out."

"Is that why…" she tried once again to reach her hand to the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry…" Phoenixia apologised.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Louise looked concerned.

"No… you didn't make it out of the door."

Louise relaxed a little. Given that she had seriously hurt people the last time, she was worried that something might have happened again that she couldn't remember. Louise moved her head a little, dislodging one of the electronic pads that Phoenixia had already attached to various points around her head.

"What…"

"It's an EEG…" Phoenixia collected the pad and reattached it. "It stands for – "

"I know what it stands for, Nixie. I had one in Real Life when there was a chance that I was epileptic like Alice."

"Well, I've looked at your brain waves… but now I need to look a little deeper."

"Deeper?"

"Actually have a look around inside your mind."

"Will it hurt?" Louise had already asked this when she had agreed to their lopsided arrangement, but given that the young agent was known to have memory issues normally, Phoenixia obliged.

"No… it won't actually hurt. You might feel a presence in your mind, but other than that, no."

Louise sighed again. "Ok..."

Phoenixia smiled; a warm genuine smile that told Louise she was doing the right thing. The young agent recoiled a little in her seat as the ex-hologram approached. Phoenixia placed fingers on the electronic pads on Louise's head, and closed her eyes.

Walking through Louise's mind was like entering the most complex maze. Words, images, all from Louise's past and present and her future, all intertwining in a convoluted haze of colour. Phoenixia screwed her tight shut and focused...

The images that flowed through her mind confused her, because she knew little of Louise's past. A white and red rose; trees, expanses of trees and red, white and black boats, their red funnels extending into the sky. Pictures of people she knew, people she didn't – Alice, Tash, Dave, herself...

Phoenixia was forced to take a deep breath as the image of Adrian appeared in Louise's mind, imposing and terrible. She would have to talk to her friend about that in the not far future.

Merle's face loomed out of the darkness of Louise's mind, swiftly followed by Richard's, and then that of his twin. Robert's face was, to Phoenixia's suddenly enlightened mind, nothing like that of his brother. Where Richard's face was severe and cold, Robert's was warm and congenial. As Phoenixia watched the images, Richard's face, in various guises, swarmed ever closer. Before she realised it, she was witnessing a scene atop a dark castle.

Louise screamed and squirmed against her restraints, pulling Phoenixia from the maze of her mind.

"Are you okay, darling?" she asked the distressed agent. Tears rolled down Louise's cheek.

"It's..." she sniffed. "It's just that that memory is a little difficult."

"What happened there?"

Louise shook her head, and said no more on the topic of the dark castle and the potentially sinister event that occurred there, and Phoenixia did not ask.

"I need to go back in..." Phoenixia explained.

"I... know..." Louise spoke between huge sobs.

Phoenixia laid her hands back on the young agents head once more and closed her eyes again. She purposely avoided the nasty section of Louise's memory that caused the woman such distress. It didn't take the ex-hologram long to find what she was looking for. A huge black container sat in the middle of the maze.

As Phoenixia's mental self approached the obstruction, and she felt Louise's body squirm beneath her hands. She pushed forwards, knowing that whatever discomfort the young agent was going through now, she would be grateful for the result.

Whispers... whispers of voices issued from the flat, black, granite-like substance standing before her. Words were carved roughly across the surface, violently slashed through; she tried to read them but there were many, arranged like a list and mentioning large, metaphysical words. Phoenixia placed a solid hand against the surface, and the surface pushed back. The two warred for some time, until beneath Phoenixia's outstretched hand, the granite cracked, and with an almighty crash, crumbled into dust.

Even before the dust had settled, the world around Phoenixia dimmed and she found herself standing back beside a now unconscious Louise.

OOO

Alice, now full of hot chips and bread, lay on her bed in the hospital wing with her book in the air. The only sound was the turning of the pages and the low hum of noise from Valerie's adjoining office as she entertained herself also.

After two hours, it was now the evening, and Alice was beginning to get sleepy. For the first time today she was content, not noticing the 'precaution' that kept her on her bed, or at least no more than a foot away from the rail. Every so often, though, she would look up from her book and sigh, wondering where her friend was.

And whether Phoenixia's nose around had worked.

Not too long later, the double doors opened, and a gurney was wheeled into the wing. Alice sat up immediately, dropping her book; lying on the portable bed was Louise, out cold.

"Lou!"

She briefly noticed a small crowd of curious agents outside, and both Phoenixia and Adrian gently hefted Louise onto the bed next to hers. Then the ex-hologram came to Alice's side. Adrian tried to give her a smile, but Alice just scowled at him.

"Nixie? Is she okay? Did you get rid of the sleeper thing?"

"Yes, I did. She's fine now."

"Was it Merle?"

Phoenixia grimaced. "Yes…"

"Bitch."

"Hmm. We'll worry about the implications and her motives later. For now, let's just give Louise a hand when she wakes up. Now as for you, there's one more thing we need to do before…" She saw the cuff on the bed rail and sighed.

"Do you really think Merle could have got to me?" asked Alice. "I mean, she's never been near me for that long, and I'm sure Richard's too much of a sicko to do something like that."

"I wouldn't underestimate him, my sweet…" Phoenixia murmured. "Adrian would just like you checked out as well. It won't take long." She placed the compact machine on the end of the bed, and Alice sat back to allow her to place the web of electrodes on her scalp. She'd been through this before, remembering the 'fun' of getting the glue out of her hair afterwards.

Valerie was checking Louise's vitals and pulling a blanket over her, and Adrian had vanished.

"I know you think Adrian's an idiot right now…" Phoenixia began.

"Bloody idiotic stupid moron who can't be bothered to listen to us petty mortals!" Alice snapped. "Or be bothered to help us! Louise – "

"Ah, just listen a moment."

The voice came from outside the hospital wing, the doors now propped open. "Okay, can I have your attention, please?"

Alice could hear the Librarian and his announcement: the hubbub of the corridors ceased, and everyone listened as Adrian explained to all in no uncertain terms what had truly happened over the past two days, and why; who was really the victim, and who was really the culprit.

"See?" said Phoenixia.

"…he's still a jerk," mumbled Alice, going a little red. She was one of those people to whom first impressions would really affirm her judgement of a person, and it took a lot to change it if at all. That, and she hated to be embarrassed.

"All right. I think that's everything hooked up," said Phoenixia, glancing at the screen and the twenty-or-so brainwave patterns flourish across it, each corresponding to a different area of Alice's brain. Some areas were a lazy, relaxed wave, others were more active and alert. "Yup, normal EEG, nothing out-of-the – "

And then Phoenixia gasped.

"What? What?" said Valerie, leaping at the sound.

Phoenixia had paused the EEG recording, realising what she had seen; it had just been unexpected. In a brief second lay definitive proof of Alice's epilepsy: a massive, rough spike in the brainwaves, all over her brain at once.

"Whoa."

"Have you been taking your pills?"

"Uhh…not since before the thing in the basement." Alice seemed perfectly normal despite the brief squall in her brain.

The pair sighed, and glanced at each other. This had not been the best day. Valerie went off to fetch them, and Phoenixia continued. With the EEG clear, if scary, she tapped into the system and began a short search in the mind – she wasn't expecting to find anything, and so didn't go in as deep as she did with Louise.

Whereas Louise's mind was gloomy and labyrinthine, Alice's was simple, light and airy. The large place that contained her childhood and past, essential as a building block to the rest of the examination, was quite lonely but nothing out of the ordinary. The largest section of Alice's mind, however, was her interests: a massive cavernous room, walls plastered with heraldry; chests of gems; a periodic table coffee table; maps of caves; a human medical anatomy model; 3D replicae of cats and tortoises and an aviary-worth of similar parrots, amongst a myriad of other things.

Beyond that was little more than fine colours and decoration, and in the core of it all, a padded room filled with duvets and pillows, cotton wool and boxes of tissues strewn here and there. She could feel Alice tremble as she peered inside, and wisely left, slowly returning to the place she had entered and leaving the treasure room untouched.

When Phoenixia emerged from her second mind scan that day, Adrian was at her side.

"Anything?" he asked, with a hint of anxiety.

"No. She's clean."

OOO

A few days after the incident and its aftermath, everything had returned to normal. Louise was welcomed back into the fold after an overnight stay recovering in the hospital wing, but everyone, especially her, detected the wariness.

Alice was also happy to escape, but she hadn't seen much of Louise. Maybe she was keeping to her room.

She had felt rather ashamed at how much she had caused trouble. All but one involved in the investigation had been so nice afterwards, and recalling her actions made her extremely embarrassed.

Specifically, while everyone else was fine, she couldn't bring herself to go and speak to Adrian.

Many of these people pushed her to go and talk to him, eventually getting Alice's awkward problem and thinking of how to help. And now Alice stood outside the Librarian's door, prodded to go there by Tash, and she was dithering on the spot.

She tapped softly on the door, semi-hoping he wasn't in; but the Librarian seemed to have been waiting for her, and opened the door immediately.

"Alice! Come in, come in," he said genially, cat ears twitching in the way to show great interest and beckoning her inside the decorated space that was the office he shared with Tash. Alice was shown to an armchair in the corner, while he pottered around the back. "Tea?"

"Uhh…no, thank you."

"Wow, a Brit who turns down tea? Shocking."

Alice half-smiled, mumbling something about only liking a few fruity blends and accepting a glass of pink lemonade instead. She watched, attempting to speak, as he sat down opposite.

"Look…about, um, earlier…"

"Alice. They weren't the best days for anyone."

"But I…"

"I know I was heavy-handed. I shouldn't have been. I'm not like that normally, honest." He smiled as Alice blushed scarlet and mumbled something softly. "I'll admit I was annoyed that such an inside attack could have happened on my watch. Something like that could have easily turned into a break-out…or a massacre."

"But it didn't."

"No, it didn't. But without a clear remedy, I didn't like all the waiting and negotiation – "

"You impatient muppet."

Adrian was relieved to see Alice's smile. "Well whaddya gonna do. Though I don't think my arms are on sticks or I have a hand up my butt…" He twisted around comically to check, and Alice laughed.

"So, tell me about your epilepsy. I'll admit I was surprised when Phoenixia mentioned it to me."

Alice shrugged. "I was fourteen, and I just keeled over in the breakfast hall on a school trip. Then several months later, in the middle of Thorpe Park…"

"And after that, it wasn't just a one-off. Is Phoenixia aware of how you deal with it? She did mention your seizure type to me."

"Topple to the floor and spazz, the typical thing. I've talked to most folk around here about it; I think they want to know what to do. But I've been seizure-free for seven years, this August…" Alice was quite animated when talking about her condition, he noted. Far from being ashamed of it, despite epilepsy still carrying a slight frightening taboo, Alice had easily accepted it as a part of her being and was very knowledgeable about it.

"I assume we would have your medication in the pharm cupboards," Adrian said, to Alice's nods. He gathered a pencil and a pad, scribbling on it. "But just in case: aura symptoms? Post-ictal period?"

He was deliberately using the medical jargon and wasn't surprised that Alice knew exactly what he was asking. "I don't get any warnings, I just drop. And I'm out for about twenty minutes afterwards, and after that I'll just need a bed."

"Well let's hope it doesn't come to that…I've already heard you've been unlucky enough to land in the hospital several times."

Alice nodded, her hand going to where the still rather pink scar from the Ak'Zahar attack showed quite obviously on her right arm.

"Phoenixia told me about that…it was a tough one. I wish I could have helped, take some of the load off her shoulders."

"I just wish I had thought about the Ak'Zahar before I went to that fandom. I'm glad Louise had gone by then," Alice mumbled.

"The Ak'Zahar…" Adrian breathed out. "I know about them. I know they're practically impossible to fight; totally magic-resistant and they swarm like bloodthirsty hornets. Everyone I know would do the sensible thing and run."

"Everyone?"

"Mmm. You were very lucky."

"I owe Nixie a lot…" said Alice, rubbing the scar gingerly up and down. It still itched a lot in certain situations, almost a remnant of the creatures' anti-magic.

"She's pretty good at things like that…" mused Adrian. "And besides…'Nixie'?"

"Huh?"

"Why 'Nixie'? I've never known her to have much of a nickname…"

Alice shrugged, the red creeping back into her cheeks. "It's just a contraction…two syllables easier to yell than four."

"Fair enough…"

"I mean if you look at the phonemes behind the word, and…"

Alice rambled on, and he actually let her get to her long, waffling point, watching her strangely.

"…er?"

"I've seen how much research you did for this mission to _Rome_ you all did. You nearly broke the table with the weight of it all!"

"Rome was fun! Everyone kept giggling at Michael's name. Gotta go in prepared, I say!"

Adrian chuckled. "It's like having a pet search engine…" Alice grinned wildly.

"So how're things in general?" The plan that had been hatched between Adrian and Tash was working: distract Alice from all embarrassment otherwise there might be resentment later, and he would have enough of that with Louise. He was also learning a lot about how the woman's mind worked by just talking to her.

"Oh you know, the usual, running from danger and ignoring the plot. Getting chatted up by hunky Romans and making plans for a buffet when I get my hands on Dicky-boy. Oh, and kicking Daftie's butt when she pops up…"

"Daftie?" He had an idea of who Alice was referring to, but was startled by the sudden nonchalant tone. It hid many things.

Alice shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "Well, she is daft. What she's doing and all. I always thought making a mockery of your enemy could possibly undermine them somewhat."

"Mmm, true. What would you have said about Willowe, I wonder."

"I 'unno. 'Oi Aspirin'?"

He laughed at that. "Please don't call Runoa 'Daftie' to her face."

And Alice was immediately serious. "No, of course I won't."

He nodded, appreciating that she was not silly.

"There's something that bugs me about the whole Runoa thing," Alice began. "Her research. Admirable, I guess, but I remember the adage 'good is completely impotent without the contrast to evil'. But why did nobody help her? Why did no-one see what she was doing and talk it over with her? Was she alone?"

He was silent.

"Sorry. It's just…I don't know. I'm probably missing something considerable. I just find the story rather sad, is all."

"Your compassion does you credit. Not many would think of her like that. But it won't help you now."

"No, I know…Adrian, do you want this to come to blows?"

"It will. Unfortunately she is beyond our help now and she will not hesitate to kill any of us, including you."

"That's not what I asked. I know it will too. But do you actually want it?"

"…Frankly, no. No I do not. I pity her too, sometimes."

He stood then, shaking off the miasma – he didn't expect it to get to that topic – and took the last piece of Tash's advice.

"Anyway, I thought you were called the Glomp Monster for a reason! Well I've been home a month and a half and I haven't been hugged by you yet. I feel deprived! So come on, glomp me."

"Seriously."

"Yes. Your biggest and bestest glomp you can possibly manage. Go on." He held out his arms, giving Alice a free invitation to his ribs.

"All right…"

So Alice glomped him.

He immediately regretted it.

OOO

The noise was heard moments before it was seen, but everyone in the Library knew that sound and several guarded their ribs at the memory of it. It was the gasping, cracking and squeaking sound of a monster glomp.

Then as the noise reduced to a low moan, there was a giggle and a scuffle – then to her audience's shock, amusement, _be_musement and plain hilarity, Alice came running out the room wearing Adrian's arms around her neck like a necklace, the Librarian himself hefted onto her back – running down the corridor with his loud wail following her.

"!

Alice stopped in the middle of a large corridor junction, twirled awkwardly a little then dumped her load on the floor – who proceeded to sink onto his butt, too dizzy to keep his balance. She crossed her arms victoriously.

Everyone around was in various stages of mirth, some fighting hard not to giggle, some corpsing and unable to keep standing.

"Me life flashed before me eyes…" Adrian groaned.

"It was really boring!" quipped Tash in between laughs, finishing the quote from _Chicken Run_.

"Urrgh…you…" Adrian tried and failed to point at Alice, instead slumping against the wall and not even resisting when Tash jumped into his lap. "What's those drugs of yours made from? Those glomps of yours are monstrous…"

"Oh we all know she's stronger than she looks!" cheered Tash.

"Why didn't you warn me?" he whined.

"It was funnier this way."

OOO

As Louise walked, the corridors the Library seemed all but deserted. It had been several days since her release from the hospital wing, during which she had spent the majority of her time in self-isolation in her room. When she wasn't in her room, Louise was pestering Adrian to be allowed to see Robert.

Every day she would stand outside his office, ask her question, and every day she would get the same response.

"Look, Adrian..." Louise was getting a little pissed off with the answers she was receiving from the Librarian, "... you have all proved that I don't have any more programming in my head. So why won't you let me see my friend?"

"Do you really think you can withstand the heckling that you will receive in there?" he asked. This was not the first time, but Louise was ready for him this time.

"I'm not going to visit them..." she responded curtly.

"They'll still be there, you know. You're fair game to them. Can you really block them out?"

"I can but try."

Adrian appeared to deliberate, mulling the possibilities over in his mind. Louise merely watched him, studying his expressions with a mixture of curiosity and frustration.

"Fine... Go."

Louise could barely believe her ears. After nearly a week of asking, she was finally getting to see her friend. She turned away from the Librarian, with the briefest "Thank You!" over her shoulder.

Louise walked swiftly towards the basement, barely containing her enthusiasm from breaking her into a run.

The agent on duty was Ben, who greeted her warmly upon her arrival. Louise explained that Adrian had finally granted her permission to speak to Robert, so long as he was present in the basement proper at the time to ensure nothing happened.

"I have no problem acting as your chaperone, Louise," Ben chuckled, and Louise gave the young man a gentle whack on the arm.

Ben opened the door into the basement, and as Louise expected she was greeted with heckles from the two worst Sues – Ash and Roxelana. Ben wandered off to deal with them, as Louise walked to the front of Cell A3.

"Hey Robert..." she murmured.

Her friend had his nose in a book, and hadn't noticed her arrival. Heckling in the basement was nothing unusual, and he had merely assumed it was the agent on duty come to check on their charges. The shock on Robert's face when he looked up was priceless.

"Mirani!" he greeted his friend with a smile.

Louise crouched down, and sat, cross-legged on the concrete floor. Robert moved to the front of his cell atop the rugs, and the two began talking.

"I generally go by 'Louise' now…" she said, smiling.

"I'm sorry, I should have realised. I'm just so glad to see you again," Robert could barely take the grin off his face.

"Likewise. It's taken me a good week to get Kitty-Boy to let me in to see you."

"He seemed very determined to get answers from me."

"What did he do to you?" Louise questioned, a note of fear in her voice.

"Nothing really. He just asked a lot of questions. Eventually he got the information he required. Then he brought me back down here, and gave me this." Robert indicated the green t-shirt he was now in. His name was clearly printed on the front, arms and back.

"You must have really impressed him." Louise was not feeling in a particularly charitable mood towards the Librarian at the present time. "He's not exactly the friendliest of people."

Robert shrugged and sighed. "I didn't think I would see you after you left the castle." His voice was distant, remembering a time when he wasn't locked in a basement. "Then I saw you in Rome."

"It was as much a surprise for me as for you, Robert."

Robert smiled. "I didn't want to be in Rome, but she wanted the act just perfect."

"The twins, yeah. Ali drilled Roman customs into us before we left."

Robert's face had a look of concern on it, before he changed the subject.

"So what have you been up to since you left the castle?"

"Mmm..." Louise looked up, her memory lost in the Rome mission. "Oh, nothing much. I went to university, which is where I met Alice. I don't know what I would be doing if it wasn't for her."

"You two are friends?"

"Yeah..." Louise nodded, a hint of sadness in her expression. "I can't believe I actually did those things to her."

"Mirani..." Robert reached through the bars to rest his hands on hers. "From what I understand, you were not acting under your own volition. You are not to blame for your actions."

"I still feel crap about it." Louise held her friend's hands. "It's as if Alice blames me. Whenever I enter a room, she leaves it. She will barely be in the spare room as me for more than a few seconds. I may not have consciously done those things, but I feel like it was my fault."

"Don't..." Robert squeezed her hands. "You always used to come to me for advice. Now take it."

The agent smiled at the Stu. "That's what I always liked about you, Robert – always the gentleman."

Robert returned her compliment with a smile.

"Things haven't been the same since you left."

"What do you mean?"

"Vincent is not well." Robert watched Louise's face drop as he spoke the words. "I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. He's bed-ridden."

"So who's been running the Witch-Hunters...?"

"Me. I've been trying to keep the Witch-Hunters from imploding in on themselves." Robert paused. "Well, until Rome that is. I'm guessing Kelam is trying to juggle both his responsibilities now."

"Poor bugger..." Louise murmured. "If only those idiots in the Circle would give him a chance to rest. But no... it's do this Kelam, do that Kelam."

"He's vital to their survival though."

"I know... but still. Can't Merle... no, of course not. Conflict does whatever she commands."

"Conflict has become worse, if that is at all possible," Robert reported.

"Worse! That man is a bastard at the best of times and Mathias is no better."

"I know, I know." Robert leaned back against the base of the bed and sighed. "I suppose I'd better give you the update on everyone."

"That'd be nice."

"Val upped and left, taking his lot with him. I have no idea where he's living now. Simon is bigger than ever. He runs the place when Merle and Richard aren't there, which is becoming more and more often. The Circle are up to something, but I don't know what."

"They're Merle's pet sorcerers... they are always up to something! I remember the first time I met Mathias... 3 o'clock in the morning in my bedroom!"

"If I recall, you kicked him out the door quite unceremoniously."

Louise smiled and let out a small giggle at the memory. "I was barely dressed!"

Robert sighed. "What I wouldn't give to go back. Anywhere's better than this place."

"It's not too bad... is it?" Louise asked, looking around the basement. Her eyes caught sight of Ben, lingering in the corner. He had a pad of paper and a pen in his hands.

"It's just... nevermind..." Robert drifted off. "You have enough things to worry about, without me adding to them."

Louise looked back at her friend. "You have never added to my worries, Robert." Her hand reached through the bars, and briefly touched the side of Robert's face, and he smiled in return.

Robert's gaze followed to where Ben was stood. "I think your friend wants you to finish talking to a known criminal, Mirani – Louise."

"You're not a criminal, Robert..." Louise looked around at Ben, who was scribbling something onto the paper he was holding.

"Regardless, you can't spend all your time down here with me. Go; have fun; enjoy yourself."

"You sure?"

"Go..." Robert gestured to the doorway behind Louise. "Your friends will be waiting for you."

Louise clambered to her feet, and made her way back to the doorway, where Ben was waiting for her.

"All done?" the male agent asked. Louise looked back at Robert who had returned to his bed, book in hand.

"I think so..." Something was worrying Louise, despite Robert's words of encouragement. She followed Ben from the basement proper, and headed up the stairs.

Ben returned to the office, placing the notepad and pen on the desk. He looked down at the names he had written there.

_Vincent._

_Kelam._

_Conflict – name?_

_Mathias._

_Val – male?_

_Simon._

_The Circle? Merle's pet sorcerers…_

He made a mental note to hand the information to a senior agent at the first opportunity; while he was in full support of Louise's visit to her friend, it seemed that all it had done was provide more unanswered questions.

OOO

_A/N: See... told ya you would get to the end... hope you all liked it. Please review._


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